Department for Transport

Railway Stations: Disability

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of train stations that have received funding for step free access platforms through the Access for All programme.

Wendy Morton: The Access for All Programme is a key Government policy.So far, over 200 stations have benefitted from step free accessible routes and over 1500 from smaller scale access improvements. There is more to come when we deliver major projects such as Crossrail and HS2 or when the industry installs, replaces or renews station infrastructure.

Cycling: Insurance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making insurance a legal requirement for cyclists.

Trudy Harrison: Cyclists are encouraged, but not required, to take out some form of insurance, and many cyclists have insurance cover through their membership of cycling organisations. All cyclists are required to obey the rules of the road, and the fact that a cyclist is not insured does not prevent them from being liable for the consequences of their actions. The police, and ultimately the courts, can take into account all the circumstances of an incident and judge accordingly.

Car Sharing: Insurance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of widening access to community car clubs by working with insurers to make it possible for people with international driving licences to access car club vehicles.

Trudy Harrison: The Department has not completed an assessment of widening access to car clubs for people with international driving licences. However, the Department understands the benefit to the decarbonisation agenda from widening access to community car clubs and that is why we work with the insurance industry to ensure that driver access is supported and encouraged.

Taxis: Disability

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a requirement for taxi and minicab drivers to complete disability equality training.

Trudy Harrison: Effective disability awareness training can help ensure that taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers have the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide passengers with appropriate assistance, so that they can travel independently and with confidence. The Department wants every local licensing authority to require taxi and PHV drivers to complete this training and will make this clear in updated Best Practice Guidance, due to be published for consultation later in the year. The Government also remains committed to introducing mandatory disability awareness training for taxi and PHV drivers through new National Minimum Standards for licensing authorities.

Highway Code: Publicity

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what publicity campaigns his Department conducted prior to the new Highway Code coming into force.

Trudy Harrison: The Department notified the public about the review of The Highway Code to improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders as part of a call for evidence on cycling and walking safety (November 2018). The government initially announced the detail of the incoming updates to The Highway Code to national media last summer. They followed a public consultation where nearly 21,000 people submitted their views, with the majority supporting the changes. On 1 December the documents laid before Parliament for approval were made available online. This was followed by a press notice, myth busting factsheet and toolkit for stakeholders to amplify the messages on 26 January, prior to the alterations coming into effect on 29 January.

Highway Code

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultations took place with representatives of motoring groups before the new Highway Code was brought into force; and with whom those consultations took place.

Trudy Harrison: When carrying out the review of The Highway Code to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, the Department for Transport worked closely with an expert stakeholder group from the outset representing different users of the road, including the AA. All road users had the opportunity to influence the changes to The Highway Code through a 12-week formal consultation process and through dedicated workshops at which the RAC and the Road Haulage Association were represented.

Cycling: Highway Code

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the revised highway code gives priority to cyclists to ride in the middle of single carriageway roads which have dedicated cycle lanes alongside the carriageway; what arrangements are available on a regional basis to monitor any increase in (a) road-rage incidents and (b) accidents arising from cyclists declining for protracted periods to allow motorists to overtake them; and if he will make it his policy to publish on a quarterly basis national (i) totals of and (ii) statistical trends arising from such incidents.

Trudy Harrison: The advisory changes introduced to The Highway Code on 29 January are an extension to the previous advice and guidance. They are not expected to pose any major challenges as they simply reinforce the good behaviours that we would expect every road user to adhere to. Cyclists are advised to ride in the centre of the lane in certain situations and this is taught as part of the national standard of cycle training. The Code now includes that safety advice for consistency.

Roads: Accidents

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal road accidents involving a vehicle that did not have a valid MOT certificate have occurred in the UK in each of last 20 years.

Trudy Harrison: The department does not hold information on whether vehicles involved in a reported road accident had a valid MOT certificate.

Roads: Accidents

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatal and (b) non-fatal road accidents involving someone who owned a car but did not have a driving licence have occurred in the UK in each of the last 20 years.

Trudy Harrison: The department does not hold information on whether drivers in reported personal injury road accidents own the vehicle they are operating. Partially complete data is held for whether the driver of a vehicle holds a driving licence which is appropriate for the vehicle from 2012 only. The number of a) fatal and b) non-fatal reported personal injury road accidents involving a car driver by whether their driver’s licence was appropriate for the vehicle for Great Britain from 2012 to 2020 can be found below.  a)Reported fatal road accidents involving car drivers by reported driving licence type, Great Britain, 2012 to 2020YearFullProvisionalUnlicensedUnknown20123001,239201317001,224201422011,268201530101,211201624016101,10620172983071,01520183121631,02620193917992120203991513678Source: DfT, STATS19   b)Reported non-fatal personal injury road accidents involving car drivers by reported driving licence type, Great Britain, 2012 to 2020 YearFullProvisionalUnlicensedUnknown201256949126,83520133,31831126117,38020142,98315170124,28720153,87428026118,820201620,9571,170136101,814201722,1691,08413294,249201822,38690515188,266201927,29849916679,946202023,22949819758,540Source: DfT, STATS19

Hydrogen Fuelling Stations

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to increase hydrogen fuelling infrastructure across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: As of December 2021, there are fourteen publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations across the UK. Future Government support for the deployment of additional hydrogen refueling infrastructure will be linked to specific research and development programmes, such as our pioneering zero emission road freight trials that will demonstrate hydrogen fuel cell HGVs on UK roads.

Union Connectivity Review

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations of the Union Connectivity Review.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is grateful to Sir Peter Hendy for his Union Connectivity Review. We are considering his recommendations carefully, working with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to identify the solutions that work best for the people of the UK. We will publish our response as swiftly as possible.

Motorways: Disability

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current guidance is for disabled people should the vehicle they are driving break down on a smart motorway.

Trudy Harrison: National Highways’ objective is for all road users, including disabled road users, to feel confident that they will have the help they need if they break down, or need assistance on England’s Strategic Road Network (SRN), including on smart motorways. It has produced a short film in partnership with Disabled Motoring UK: Driving on England’s motorways – a disabled driver's perspective - YouTube.This is alongside the following guidance for road users in the event of a breakdown if they are unable to exit their vehicles:Stay in your vehicleKeep your seatbelts and hazard warning lights onCall 999 immediately. The emergency services can alert National Highways, so that its operators can close motorway lanes and send other help as required, such as a National Highways Traffic OfficerRoad users are advised to tell operators if they are disabled and/or a vulnerable motorist such as an older person or travelling aloneIf a road user is unable to use the roadside phones, they can contact National Highways via text on 0738 028 3600 for roadside assistance and for British Sign Language users the SignLive service is availableRoad Users are advised to always carry any medication they need with them and to prepare for their journey in advance Additionally, in September 2021, National Highways launched a partnership with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to create a free Sunflower for their vehicle, as part of National Highways’ commitment to ensuring disabled road users travel safely on its roads. Displaying the Sunflower indicates that a road user has a non-visible disability and may need additional support from traffic officers and others. Displaying this means that the road user will get the help they need if they break down on the motorway. It should also be noted that the Secretary of State has paused the rollout of future ALR smart motorway schemes until a full 5 years’ worth of safety data is available, and during the pause, we will continue to make sure all existing ALR smart motorways are equipped with best-in-class technology and resources and are as safe as they can possibly be.

Motorways: Safety

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve motorway safety in England.

Trudy Harrison: Safety is National Highways’ top priority as highway authority on the Strategic Road Network (SRN), which comprises our motorways and principal A-roads. It addresses safety issues through public information campaigns and infrastructure solutions where necessary. Where safety critical defects are identified on the SRN, they are made safe within 24 hours. Permanent repairs are carried out according to the severity of the defect, often within 28 days. National Highways will continue to review the condition of the SRN to ensure that future improvements works are prioritised according to need. Additionally, earlier this year National Highways launched its largest ever campaign to help drivers feel safer on our country’s motorways. Its main message informs drivers that if you breakdown, ‘Go Left’. Further information can be accessed here: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/road-safety/breakdowns/.

Dover Port: Large Goods Vehicles

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the length of delays for road freight at the port of Dover.

Robert Courts: The Department does not hold data on the length of time spent by hauliers waiting to board a ferry at Dover. The Port of Dover operates a ‘turn up and go service’ meaning HGVs will be placed on to the first available ferry when they arrive at the Port. There may be an occasion when hauliers have to wait which may be due to peak periods of traffic at the Port. The Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) is responsible for traffic management in Kent.

Highway Code: Pedestrians

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the updates to the Highway Code introduced in January 2021, what his definition is of the term pedestrian used in that Code.

Trudy Harrison: For the purposes of The Highway Code, the term ‘pedestrian’ is to have its ordinary understood meaning within the context of using a highway. Rule H2 of The Highway Code advises that pedestrians include wheelchair and mobility scooter users.

Railways: Coronavirus

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the end of plan B covid-19 restrictions, whether he has issued updated guidance to rail operators on service (a) levels and (b) capacity to account for the absence of restrictions.

Wendy Morton: The Department continues to work closely with rail operators as they adjust timetables to meet the demand for travel and to mitigate the impact of staff absences on rail services. Following the lifting of Plan B restrictions, the Department has worked with train operating companies as they manage the reinstatement of services and develop sustainable timetables which provide sufficient capacity to meet demand as staffing pressures ease.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Companies House: Reform

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will outline his planned timetable for reforms to enable Companies House to introduce a power to query and check information and identity verification.

Paul Scully: The Government’s plans for reforms to Companies House will deliver significant improvements to the integrity of the UK’s register of companies and assist greatly in the fight against economic crime. These reforms will include the identity verification of directors, People with Significant Control and those filing on behalf of a company, and new powers for the registrar to query and check information. We will legislate when Parliamentary time allows.

Business: Loans

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the British Business Bank's performance targets are for lenders loan recovery in coronavirus business support loan schemes.

Paul Scully: The Bounce Back Loan Scheme Guarantee Agreement and subsequent recovery principles document outline the Bank’s requirements and expectations for lenders participating in the scheme, including in terms of recoveries. The overall approach is that recoveries should be pursued in line with the lender’s existing standards for its own commercial lending. Under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, lenders are expected to follow their own commercial procedures. The ongoing lender audit assurance programme assesses the performance of lenders including in relation to their recovery activities. Where issues are identified the Bank can take remedial action.

Business: Coronavirus

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses that received (a) bounce back loans, (b) coronavirus business interruption loans, and (c) coronavirus large business interruption loans are no longer trading.

Paul Scully: The British Business Bank does not capture this information as part of its data recording. However, the Department has been objecting to strike-off proposals from companies that have outstanding government-backed loans. This policy was launched on the Bounce Back Loan Scheme in April 2021 and was extended to include CBILS, CLBILS and RLS in August 2021. Through the bulk objection scheme, 63,968 companies have been prevented from striking off whilst holding a BBLS, CBILS, RLS or Future Fund facility. These facilities are worth £2.2 billion in total.

Professions: Qualifications

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made in securing bi-lateral mutual recognition agreements with (a) Denmark, (b) France, (c) Germany, (d) Netherlands and (e) Sweden regarding professional service qualifications; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: The decision to initiate a mutual recognition agreement or arrangement on the recognition of professional qualifications is one for the relevant regulators or professional bodies to take.

Companies House: Directors

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a list of all directors registered with Companies House organised by year of birth.

Paul Scully: A snapshot of directors' details is available through Companies House bulk product (195), this includes month and year of birth.

Business: Coronavirus

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) discussions and (b) correspondence his Department has had with the National Crime Agency on the issue of fraud in respect of the coronavirus business support schemes in each of the last three months.

Paul Scully: The Department has been in correspondence with the National Crime Agency on the issue of fraud in respect of the coronavirus business support schemes on several occasions on each of the last three months. The details of the correspondence cannot be disclosed as this may prejudice live or future investigations. The Department continues to work closely with the NCA and other law enforcement agencies to tackle serious fraud and other criminality.

Additional Restrictions Grant

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to section 28 of the Additional Restrictions Grant guidance for local authorities, published in December 2021, whether businesses which pay business rates are eligible for the additional restrictions grant.

Paul Scully: Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has delivered an unprecedented package of support for businesses. Over £26bn has been allocated on business grants with a further £1 billion of support announced, in December 2021, for businesses in England most impacted by Omicron.  From this, £635 million has been made available for local authorities to support the hospitality, leisure and accommodation sectors and over £100 million of discretionary funding for businesses severely impacted by Omicron through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme. Local Authorities are encouraged to support businesses from all sectors that have been severely impacted by restrictions, or by the Omicron variant, including those paying business rates. Further information on eligibility can be found in the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-restrictions-support-grants-lrsg-and-additional-restrictions-grant-arg-guidance-for-local-authorities

Foreign Companies: Property

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many properties in England are owned by (a) off-shore companies and (b) off-shore companies registered in a Crown Dependency.

Paul Scully: HM Land Registry holds information on registered titles in England and Wales. A dataset of Overseas companies that own property in England and Wales is publicly available via GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/hm-land-registry-overseas-companies-that-own-property-in-england-and-wales. The dataset is a list of freehold or leasehold title registrations held by HM Land Registry, where the registered legal owner is an overseas company (a company incorporated outside of the UK).

Energy: Debts

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on levels of consumer debt in the domestic energy sector.

Greg Hands: The government continues to work closely with Ofgem to improve outcomes for consumers with energy debts. Ofgem collects information from energy companies on average debt levels which can be sourced here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-data-and-research/data-portal/all-available-charts?keyword=debt&sort=relevance. Energy companies are required to follow Ofgem regulations to collect debt from customers. These rules include treating customers fairly by proactively contacting those in payment difficulty to establish an appropriate repayment plan based on the customer’s Ability to Pay, and making customers aware of debt advice services.

Energy Company Obligation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 111470 on Energy Company Obligation, if he will ensure that there is not a gap between the end of ECO3 in March 2022 and the start of ECO4 in April 2022.

Greg Hands: Last Summer the Government consulted on extending the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme from 2022-26. The Government will issue a response in due course. ECO4 will commence once the Government has sought parliamentary approval. The Government will endeavour to ensure that there is a smooth transition between the end of ECO3 and the start of ECO4.

Green Deal Scheme: Appeals

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2021 to Question 56668, on Green Deal Scheme: Appeals, how many Green Deal appeal cases are due to be processed as at 1 February 2022.

Greg Hands: As of 1 February 2022, there are 421 live Green Deal complaint cases referred to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Park Homes: Energy Supply

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment on the potential impact of the energy reseller arrangements on mobile park home owners (a) obtaining the best energy deals and (b) accessing (i) solar panels and (ii) other sustainable energy measures.

Greg Hands: The Maximum Resell Price rules set by Ofgem aim to protect mobile park homeowners from excess charges if they are not directly responsible for their energy supply. Mobile Park homeowners who are directly responsible for their energy supply have the right to choose their own energy supplier and can access solar panels and other sustainable energy measures subject to agreement with the mobile park owner.

SME Climate Hub

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the total cost is of his Department's SME Climate Hub to date.

Greg Hands: The Government has worked closely with the international UN-backed SME Climate Hub, which is part of the global Race to Zero campaign, to embed a UK campaign page known as the UK Business Climate Hub. This campaign page offers free advice to small business on how to be greener and save money, along with inspiring UK case studies. The cost of developing the UK Business Climate Hub was £46,800, including VAT. Upon making their SME climate commitment to join the Race to Zero, businesses gain free access to a suite of resources to help them measure, reduce and report on emissions.

Energy: Prices

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the he has made of the adequacy of steps taken by energy providers to promote and ensure take up of support schemes for vulnerable individuals struggling with rising energy costs.

Greg Hands: The Government meets regularly with Ofgem, energy suppliers and consumer groups to help support vulnerable consumers save energy and reduce their bills. The Warm Home Discount scheme currently provides over 2 million low-income and vulnerable households with a £140 rebate off their winter energy bill. The scheme will be extended to 2026, and from 2022 it will be worth £475 million a year (in 2020 prices) and reach nearly 3 million households. The Energy Company Obligation Scheme has delivered around 3.3 million measures in around 2.3 million homes since 2013. As per the Sustainable Warmth Strategy, the Government has committed to a four-year, £4 billion successor scheme to accelerate efforts in helping homes meet fuel poverty targets.

Small Businesses: Carbon Emissions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the finding of the November 2021 report by the British Business bank on the proportion of SME businesses that have started to measure their carbon footprint and take steps to reduce carbon in their business, what specific steps his Department taking to increase awareness of net zero among SMEs.

Greg Hands: The former Net Zero Business Champion led the Race to Zero campaign targeting small and medium businesses, which has attracted 2,730 UK small business commitments to date, constituting approximately 80% of global signups. The Government has also developed the UK Business Climate Hub, where business can receive sector-specific guidance on how best to reduce their carbon emissions. This pageattracted an average of 3,000 visitors per day, or 90,000 per month in the months leading up to COP26. The Government has worked with businesses themselves and a wide range of Business Representative Organisations, sector-based trade associations, Devolved Administrations and local and regional organisations to raise awareness of the campaign and the race to net zero.

SME Climate Hub

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the 5.6million SME businesses in the UK have signed up to the SME Climate Hub.

Greg Hands: To date, over 2700 UK small and medium sized businesses have made the SME Climate Commitment in order to join the UN’s Race to Zero, constituting approximately 80% of global signups.

SME Climate Hub

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the SME Climate Hub at encouraging businesses to sign up to that campaign.

Greg Hands: The 2,730 UK businesses who have made SME Climate Commitments and joined the Race to Zero represent ~80% of global signups. We continue to work with the international SME Climate Hub team to improve the platform content with additional tools, and that of the UK Business Climate Hub through case studies and other features. The UK Business Climate Hub, a UK page developed by the Government which is embedded in the international SME Climate Hub, attracted an average of 3,000 visitors per day, or 90,000 per month in the months leading up to COP26.

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to enable the implementation of decarbonisation measures beyond the home, such as funding for electric car charging points.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the suitability of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund in achieving sufficient electric car charging points for social housing tenants.

Greg Hands: The £3.8bn Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is to decarbonise social housing as the name suggests. However, in November 2021, the Government announced that it would require EV charging infrastructure to be installed in new homes and homes undergoing major renovation with associated parking. This will include flats and social housing. This will come into effect from June 2022. We are reforming our EV chargepoint grants for homes to better support low income families who may live in flats or rented accommodation.In 2022 we will provide grants of up to £30,000 to install charging in apartment block carparks and we will open our electric vehicle charge points grants to landlords, both private and public, so that they can provide charging for their tenants.

Small Businesses: Carbon Emissions

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what specific steps his Department is taking to support SMEs to increase their capacity to reach net zero carbon emissions.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to support UK SMEs to join the UN’s Race to Zero initiative. To date, over 2,730 small businesses in the UK have made a net zero commitment, constituting ~80% of global signups.

Incinerators: Weaver Vale

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the financial difficulties of CNIM, if he will make it his policy to halt the construction of a waste incinerator in Weaver Vale constituency.

Greg Hands: The Lostock Sustainable Energy Plant was granted consent under the Electricity Act 1989 in October 2012 by Ministers in what was then the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The consent was subsequently varied in July 2019. A further application to vary this consent was submitted in October 2021 to my department. When deciding whether to refuse or consent this application, the Secretary of State will consider all matters relevant to planning. The Government does not comment on specific matters relating to live applications.

Electricity: Prices

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of increased electricity prices on all electric homes.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has any plans to help mitigate the disproportionate effect of high energy prices on all electric homes.

Greg Hands: The Government is monitoring the significant increases in wholesale energy prices closely, and meeting regularly with Ofgem, suppliers and consumer groups to understand the future impact on consumers as well as to discuss potential mitigations. The Government is committed to protecting energy customers, especially the most vulnerable. The Government has announced a package of support to help households with rising energy bills, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23. This includes a £200 discount on their energy bill this Autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain. This will be paid back automatically over the next 5 years. There will be a £150 non-repayable rebate in Council Tax bills for all households in Bands A-D in England. Additionally, the Government announced £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax rebate. The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter. Low income and fuel poor households will continue to be supported with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with a £140 discount. Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments will ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes through the winter. The £500 million Household Support Fund will support vulnerable households with essentials over the coming months.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his Department's average response time was to an enquiry from a hon. Member to the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Conor Burns: The Northern Ireland Office does not have an MP hotline or an account management team.

Attorney General

Crown Prosecution Service: West Midlands

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment she has made of the performance of the Crown Prosecution Service in the West Midlands.

Alex Chalk: Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) published a report on CPS West Midlands on 12 October 2021. The report found that the Area added significant value and excelled in making good prosecutorial decisions. In addition, the report found that the Area’s RASSO casework was particularly strong, and its handling of victim and witness care issues was also praised by inspectors. However, there were some aspects of performance that require improvement, such as the quality of case strategy at both the pre and post charge stages. HMCPSI will conduct a follow-up inspection of CPS West Midlands next year to assess whether improvements have been made.

Crown Prosecution Service: Police

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Attorney General, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that communication between the Crown Prosecution Service and the police is as swift as possible.

Alex Chalk: The effective communication and progression of cases between investigators and prosecutors is vital to secure swift and effective outcomes for victims and witnesses. Improvement in this area is a priority for the police and CPS at both a national and local level. In March 2021, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and College of Policing published a joint National Case Progression Commitment, which provided an in-depth analysis of the barriers to effective case progression; and sets out their commitment to taking action to drive improvement. This work is overseen at a national level by a Joint Operational Improvement Board (JOIB), which is co-chaired by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the NPCC’s lead for criminal justice, Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave. The Attorney General and I regularly meet with the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss progress. At a local level, the recent introduction of Joint Operational Improvement Meetings has fundamentally changed how issues are identified and addressed. These meetings create a forum to better improve direct communication between the CPS and the police and enhance early collaboration to resolve issues. They also provide an opportunity for CPS Areas and police forces to improve casework performance, through strong working relationships and practises.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health and Care Bill: Children

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason his Department did not undertake a Child Impact Assessment on the Health and Care Bill.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his Department's policy to ensure that covid-19 lateral flow tests remain free of charge and readily available to the general public.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ansell: Protective Clothing

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many disposable gloves his Department has purchased from Ansell in Malaysia in the last financial year.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

PPE Medpro: Baroness Mone

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2022 to Question 101748 on PPE Medpro: Baroness Mone, what the nature was of the link between Baroness Mone and PPE Medpro that was made clear prior to the award of contracts.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2022 to Question 98916 on Coronavirus: Screening, which body is responsible for the accreditation of businesses to supply covid-19 lateral flow tests to the NHS.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hepatitis: Liver Diseases

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of hepatic encephalopathy in people with current or previous infection with Hepatitis C.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

England Infected Blood Support Scheme: Hepatitis

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who were registered with England Infected Blood Support Scheme as Hepatitis Stage 1 have died with Hepatis C as the cause or a contributing cause of their death.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the progress of face-to-face appointment availability in GP practices.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK Health and Security Agency will publish data on covid-19 outbreaks in care homes.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Test and Trace: Telephone Services

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2022 to Question 99071 on NHS Test and Trace: Telephone Services, when the data will be centrally verified and the estimate published.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Randox Laboratories

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 101746, on Department of Health and Social Care: Randox Laboratories, for what reason the minute of the phone call of 9 April 2020 is dated 26 November 2020.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Protective Clothing: Ports

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the 3.4 billion items of personal protective clothing identified as potential excess stock is being stored at UK ports.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Protective Clothing: Felixstowe Port

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the 3.4 billion units of personal protective equipment identified as potential excess stock is being stored at the port of Felixstowe.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of a possible link between covid-19 vaccination and myocarditis in males under 40.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the Coronavirus Yellow Card Reporting Scheme.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alcoholism: Rehabilitation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support residential and non-residential treatment centres that help people tackle alcohol addiction.

Gillian Keegan: The Government published its Drugs Strategy on 6 December 2021. The commissioning and delivery of drug and alcohol treatment services is now almost entirely integrated in England. Implementation of aspects of the Strategy will benefit people seeking treatment for alcohol misuse, through mechanisms such as a new commissioning standard and increasing the workforce.Through the Strategy, £533 million has been allocated to the drug and alcohol treatment system over three years and we will provide further investment to community-based alcohol and drug treatment services, residential rehabilitation places and medically managed inpatient detoxification units. This funding is in addition to £9.8 million made available in 2021/22 for medically managed inpatient detoxification units and funding for local authorities from the Public Health Grant.

Better Care Fund: Children and Young People

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential need to clarify and raise awareness that the Better Care Fund applies to the integration of health and care services for children and young people.

Gillian Keegan: The Better Care Fund (BCF) is primarily focussed on supporting adults in the health and care system, through the integration of health, adult social care and housing. The BCF includes the Disabled Facilities Grant, which funds housing applications for disabled individuals, including those under 18 years old. Local areas have the discretion to include children’s health and social care services in their BCF plans. The forthcoming integration white paper will provide further detail on plans for health and social care integration.

Blood: Contamination

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who were registered with the Macfarlane Trust but (a) never applied for and (b) were unsuccessful in applying for Skipton Stage 1 payments.

Maria Caulfield: No estimate has been made as the Department does not hold the relevant personal data on those registered with the Macfarlane Trust.

England Infected Blood Support Scheme

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate the Government has made of the number of people who have been unsuccessful in claiming (a) Skipton Stage 1, (b) Special Category Mechanism and (c) Skipton Stage 2 payments from the England Infected Blood Support Scheme or its predecessors as a result of a lack of medical evidence.

Maria Caulfield: Skipton Stage 1 and Skipton Stage 2 are not recognised beneficiary categories under the England Infected Blood Support Scheme. The England Infected Blood Support Scheme was established in November 2017. The following table shows information on declined applications for hepatitis C stage 1, Special Category Mechanism and hepatitis C stage 2. Applications are declined for various reasons such as a lack of evidence to support the application. The Scheme do not hold data on declined applications prior to 1 November 2017.  Application type2017/18 (1 November 2017 to 31 March 2018)2018/192019/202020/21Hepatitis C stage 135395011Special Category Mechanism15020Less than 50Hepatitis C stage 291815Less than 5Note: Where there are less than five applications, we are unable to provide the exact number to prevent the identification of individuals.

England Infected Blood Support Scheme

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has been made of the payments from England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) that bereaved partners or other family members may not be receiving due to EIBSS registrants not being revaluated for (a) the Special Category Mechanism or (b) Hepatitis Stage 2 after death.

Maria Caulfield: The England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) began annual payments to bereaved partners in December 2021, backdated to 2019 or the date of death of their partner where applicable. Bereaved partners receive a payment based upon the payment category of their partner at the time of their death. If a bereaved partner or family member believes the deceased met the qualifying criteria for Stage 2 payments, they can apply to the EIBSS. No estimate has been made of such payments.

Wheelchairs

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK use a wheelchair.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not collected centrally.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy to introduce a compensation scheme for travellers who are forced to quarantine at short notice on their return to the UK as a result of the Omicron variant.

Maggie Throup: There is no specific policy offering compensation for the cost of quarantine at short notice. If British residents returning to the United Kingdom from a ‘red list’ country (there are currently no countries on the red list) believe they will suffer severe financial hardship as a result of paying the full cost of managed quarantine in advance, they may qualify for hardship arrangements. This includes repayment plans, where the fees are repaid in monthly instalments and in exceptional circumstances, fee reductions and waivers may be granted. All eligibility criteria must be met to qualify for hardship arrangements.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that abortion pills sent to patients by post without an in-person consultation are taken by the patient for whom they were intended.

Maggie Throup: Women seeking an abortion should be informed during the consultation process that medical abortion is a two-stage process which requires the administration of Mifepristone followed by Misoprostol to successfully complete the procedure. If a woman is eligible to receive both abortion pills at home under the provisions of the temporary approval currently in place, providers should supply medicines obtained through a regulated supply chain, appropriately labelled for individual patients to be safely used only by those patients.Abortion providers should provide women with information on what to do with the pills if they choose not to take them after they have been received, such as returning pills to a pharmacy, clinic or general practitioner for safe disposal. Supply of abortion medication outside of the provisions of the temporary approval is unlawful.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of number of women who have had to be admitted to hospital after taking medical abortion pills supplied by post.

Maggie Throup: The information requested is not held centrally.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of care homes are experiencing covid-19 outbreaks as at 1 February 2022.

Gillian Keegan: This information is not available in the format requested.

Protective Clothing: Ports

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much personal protective equipment (PPE) is in temporary storage at UK ports; what the average length of time is that PPE is held at ports; and what the cost is of storing PPE at ports.

Edward Argar: The Department is not storing personal protective equipment at ports.

Protective Clothing: Females

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that future purchase of PPE is undertaken with a view to ensuring that it fits female wearers as well as male wearers.

Edward Argar: Personal protective equipment is designed to be unisex and offer protection for all wearers. However, buying teams will source a range of different sizes.

Doctors: Pensions

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the end of the temporary suspension in March 2022 of pension penalty protections introduced in respect of the NHS pension scheme during the covid-19 outbreak on senior doctors’ decisions on (a) early retirement and (b) reductions in their working hours.

Edward Argar: Three rules were suspended by Section 45 of the Coronavirus Act 2020. Staff in the 1995 section no longer had to restrict hours worked to no more than 16 hours a week for four weeks after taking their pension. ‘Special Class’ members and Mental Health Officer (MHOs) of the 1995 Section (staff with the reserved right to retire at 55 years old without an actuarial reduction) no longer would have their pension abated so that pension plus current earnings could not exceed earnings before retirement. Staff in the 2008 and 2015 schemes no longer had to reduce their pensionable earnings by 10% on drawing down some of their pension.These rule changes affected only retired staff and therefore did not impact the early retirement of doctors. The vast majority of doctors, other than a small number of MHOs in post before 6 March 1995, are not ‘Special Class’ members and are not benefiting from Section 45 and will be unaffected when it is withdrawn. Doctors who have retired and returned to the National Health Service have benefited from the suspension of the 16 hour rule since March 2020 and have been able to immediately return to full-time work.

Screening: Finance

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details on which of the projects funded through the Targeted Investment Fund that will involve updating imaging and diagnostics equipment.

Edward Argar: A range of investments to support elective recovery were made through the Targeted Investment Fund. A list of 35 schemes relating to the upgrading of imaging and diagnostic equipment is attached.TABLE (docx, 24.2KB)

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) support people with problematic alcohol use and (b) prevent people from developing problematic alcohol use.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that alcohol use prevention and treatment programmes are adequately resourced.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy priorities are for tackling problematic alcohol use.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle the challenges associated with alcohol use.

Gillian Keegan: As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, we have funded the implementation of specialist alcohol care teams in hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol dependence-related admissions. Local authorities are responsible for the provision of services to prevent, mitigate and treat alcohol-related health harm. We are investing £533 million over three years to support local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England. This is in addition to local authorities’ expenditure on substance misuse services from the Public Health Grant. A cross-Government programme to support children of alcohol dependent parents is also underway.The Department continues to promote the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines through online platforms, local authorities’ public health duties and encouraging alcoholic drink producers to reflect the guidelines on labelling. The Government is also working with the industry to create more consumer choice in the low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks sector, to support individuals to drink within the guidelines. We also provide the ‘Better Health’ and ‘One You’ adult health campaigns and the Drinkline service and webchat.

Care Homes

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specific support his Department is providing to care home residents to help them (a) identify an essential care giver and (b) receive regular visits from that care giver.

Gillian Keegan: Our guidance states that all residents should be supported to nominate an essential care giver. It recognises that residents, their loved ones and their carers will be best placed to make decisions on who the essential care giver should be. The guidance also sets out the arrangements for essential care givers and where a resident lacks the mental capacity to nominate their essential care giver. If a resident or their family have concerns that care home is not following visiting guidance appropriately, it should be raised with the home in the first instance. The Care Quality Commission can also investigate complaints.

Carers: Finance

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the £25 million of funding announced to support unpaid carers will include young carers.

Gillian Keegan: We expect this funding will identify and test a range of new and existing interventions to support unpaid carers, which could include respite and breaks, peer group and wellbeing support and new ways to combine these to maximise their impact. We will continue to work with stakeholders, including organisations working with young carers and people with lived experience of caring as we develop our proposals.

NHS: Pensions

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications on workforce of the expiration of the temporary covid-19 measures allowing retired NHS staff to return to work without pension penalties.

Edward Argar: The pension measures in Section 45 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 allow retired and partially retired staff to return to work or increase their working commitments without the risk of having their pension benefits suspended.Since March 2020, the 16 hour rule, abatement of ‘Special Class’ members of the 1995 Section (staff with the reserved right to retire at 55 years old without an actuarial reduction) and abatement of draw down members in the 2008 Section and 2015 Scheme have been suspended. Abatement does not apply generally in the scheme, but it does apply to ‘Special Class’ staff who return to work between the ages 55 to 60 years old. Abatement recognises that ‘Special Class’ members have a significant benefit not available to other staff in the National Health Service. Once abatement is resumed, this closed cohort will still be able to continue working for the NHS, typically at least half time. The vast majority of staff are not subject to abatement after taking their pension.These measures are due to expire on 24 March 2022, with the NHS Pension Scheme rules returning to business as usual arrangements. The Department is keeping this under review.

Department for Education

Further Education Capital Transformation Fund

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his timescale is for announcing the successful bids for stage 2 of the Further Education Capital Transformation Fund.

Alex Burghart: Further education (FE) colleges that were successful at stage 1 of the bidding process for the FE Capital Transformation Fund were invited to submit stage 2 applications.The department is currently assessing stage 2 applications and hopes to be in a position to inform all applicants of the outcome of the process in March 2022.

Department for Education: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average response time was for his Department to respond to an enquiry from an MP once an enquiry had been received by the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Michelle Donelan: The government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents.The department does not have an MP hotline or an account management team for MPs. Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers. Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Schools: Assessments

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the end-of-year examinations are fair for pupils who have been absent from school due to covid-19 infection control measures.

Mr Robin Walker: It is our firm intention that exams will go ahead this year. It is of great importance to give pupils the opportunity to sit their exams and we have put measures in place to ensure they can do so fairly.We have worked with Ofqual to put in place several adaptations in GCSEs, AS and A levels to support the safe and fair delivery of exams during this academic year to recognise the disruption pupils have already faced, and to account for further disruption. The adaptations being made were welcomed during our joint consultation with Ofqual and include: a choice of topics in GCSE English literature, history, ancient history, and choice of content in geographyprovision of advance information which will set out the focus of exam content in subjects where there is no choice of topic or content, to be released on 7 Februarychanges to the requirements for the delivery of practical assessments in a range of subjectsprovision of support materials (for example, formula sheets) for exams in GCSE maths, physics, and combined science  Depending on the purpose of the qualification, a range of adaptations for vocational technical qualifications and other general qualifications have been made, including:a reduction in the number of internal assessments, whilst ensuring all content is taughta reduction in the number of hours of work experience or work placementlonger and more assessment windowssocial distancing adaptations (for example, a professional discussion in place of certain practical activities)greater flexibility in invigilation rules (for example, allowing subject teachers to invigilate their own subject) In balancing public confidence in qualifications with fairness, Ofqual have also confirmed that 2022 will be a transition year for grading. Grades will be set at a mid-point between 2021 and pre-pandemic grades for GCSEs, AS and A levels. In 2023, Ofqual plans to return to results that are in line with those in pre-pandemic years.This package of adaptations, combined with Ofqual’s approach to grading, provides unprecedented support to maximise fairness and help pupils reach their potential.

Education: Political Impartiality and Racial Discrimination

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is his policy that (a) the prohibition in schools of the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject set out in s.406(1)(b) of the Education Act 1996 continues to apply to (i) local education authorities, (ii) school governors and (iii) headteachers and (b) that prohibition includes attempts to introduce critical race theory into schools; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of enforcement of education legislation, by authority; and if he will take steps to ensure that schools in Brighton and Hove comply with statutory bans on the political indoctrination of schoolchildren.

Mr Robin Walker: Schools are free to include a full range of issues, ideas and appropriate materials in their teaching, even where they are challenging and controversial. They can teach about contested views on race in a factual manner, acknowledging different opinions, just as pupils are often taught about a range of opposing and contested views on other topics. They should not, however, teach contested theories or opinions as fact.Political impartiality in our education system is an incredibly important principle to uphold. We are working with the sector to develop guidance which will help schools understand and meet their duties in this area. This guidance will support schools to teach about complex political issues, in line with their legal duties on political impartiality.Legal requirements on political impartiality in schools fall specifically on local authorities, governing bodies, academy trust leadership (including senior managers and academy trustees) and, in the case of maintained schools and academies, headteachers.Where there are concerns about what is being taught, we expect that, in most instances, these can be addressed through dialogue and agreement, and simple steps can be taken to resolve any issues.

Further Education and Schools: Coronavirus

Miriam Cates: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an (a) estimate the number of covid-19 lateral flow tests that have been distributed to schools and further education colleges since 1 January 2021 and (b) assessment of the effectiveness of (i) lateral flow testing and (ii) the vaccination of 12 to 15 year olds in minimising covid-19-related pupil absences from full-time education.

Mr Robin Walker: The testing programme is well-established in education providers. As of 19 January 2022, over 109.5 million tests (including household bubble and support bubble tests) have been completed in all education providers including higher education (HE). This includes: Over 31.1 million tests completed for primary schools and nurseries Over 72.4 million tests completed for schools and colleges Over 4.1 million tests completed for HE institutions Lateral flow device (LFD) tests have been widely and successfully used to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. A recent report has shown that the accuracy of LFD tests was more than 80% effective at detecting any level of COVID-19 infection and likely to be more than 90% effective at detecting the most infectious people at the point of testing. On 26 November 2021, every single nursery, school, college, and HE institution was invited to order supplies of lateral flow tests. They will have received their allocation of the 31 million tests, in advance of their pupils, students and staff returning, through a dedicated supply channel. Vaccinating children should help to reduce the need for children to have time off school and should reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 within schools. Modelling by the Department of Health and Social Care published in September 2021 suggested that a single dose of the vaccine could reduce absences due to confirmed cases of COVID-19 by 33% among healthy 12 to 15-year-olds. This is assuming a 60% uptake. All eligible staff and students aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters, where eligible.

Pupils: Absenteeism

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has received representations on the impact of marking children as absent for illness during covid-19 isolation periods where the child is not unwell and is taking part in lessons at home on the attendance records of those children.

Mr Robin Walker: Schools are responsible for recording absence in the register using the most appropriate code in line with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended. The attendance register is a legal record of why a pupil is not physically in school at any given time. We have advised schools throughout the COVID-19 outbreak that, where a pupil tests positive for COVID-19, they should be recorded as ill (Code I) in the register to reflect the fact that they were absent with an infectious illness. Schools should authorise absences due to illness unless they have genuine cause for concern about the veracity of an illness.Schools may keep a record of and monitor engagement with remote education, but this does not need to be tracked in the attendance register.Considering the disruption caused by COVID-19, last year we also amended the Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005, which meant that schools were not required to include attendance data in pupil end of year reports to parents. We are considering the position again for this academic year.

Schools: Construction

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department will publish its consultation on prioritised schools for the School Rebuilding Programme.

Mr Robin Walker: The department consulted over the summer and early autumn 2021 on the approach to prioritising schools for remaining places in the programme. On 3 February 2022 we published the response to the consultation. The response can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/prioritising-schools-for-the-school-rebuilding-programme.Responsible bodies can now nominate schools for the next round and guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme. We announced the first 100 schools in the programme in 2021, as part of a commitment to 500 projects over the next decade.

Education: Policy

Claire Coutinho: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what methods his Department uses to collect the views of parents on education policy.

Michelle Donelan: Parents and carers are often included in the departments individual research studies on specific interventions, generally asking about the impact on their child. Research studies commissioned by the department are published here: https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?content_store_document_type=research&keywords=&organisations%5B%5D=department-for-education.The department’s main means of interacting with parents and carers of school pupils is from our dedicated panel which was set up to engage with parents and carers and in a robust and representative way. Parents and carers who have agreed to regularly participate in surveys across the academic year are asked to fill out an online survey on a range of topics. Last academic year this was approximately every four weeks, and this academic year will be approximately every six weeks. These surveys have helped to inform our response on a range of issues and is also helping to shape our education recovery.The findings from the 2020/21 academic year's surveys (Parent and Pupil Panel) were published in October 2021 and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parent-and-pupil-panel-omnibus-surveys. The first survey for the 2021/22 academic year took place in December 2021 with parents and carers of school pupils joining the newly renamed Parent, Pupil and Learner Panel.The department also regularly interviews parents of early years children on government childcare offers, amongst other topics related to childcare, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2019. The next publication is due in July 2022. Whilst interviewing had to be postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the department set up an online survey of parents to gather evidence on childcare use and other topics during COVID-19. This was last published in September 2021 and is conducted on an ad-hoc basis. The most recent publication can be found here: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/childcare-use-perceived-impact-child-development-information-working-home-and-awareness-and-use.

Sexual Offences: Psychiatric Patients

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to review the criteria applied by the Family Court system according to which an infant, fathered by a UK care-home employee on a woman admitted as an inpatient under section, will be sent to live in Africa, with the father's parents, while Police investigations continue into whether the care-home employee has committed a serious criminal offence in impregnating the mother in his care; whether she will examine the legal process according to which the relocation of an infant to a developing country, under such circumstances, is deemed to be preferable to directing that the child be brought up by (a) members of the mother's family or (b) adoptive parents in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

Will Quince: The Department for Education is responding given its responsibility for the policy and guidelines around local authority care proceedings. The department is unable to comment on any criminal matters.Whilst the Department for Education cannot intervene in individual cases, this government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for them. The paramount consideration of the family court when making any decision is the child’s welfare.On the points regarding the criteria applied by the family court system and the legal process in place, in all cases, a court will independently assess and carefully scrutinise all the evidence before any decision is made. Separate scrutiny by the child’s court appointed guardian will also be applied to ensure that the child’s interests and views are properly represented. Where local authorities are considering removing a child from their birth parents, it will consider all options available that are in the child’s best interest, including placing the child with other family members in England or abroad.This government believes the best place for a child to thrive is with their family. However, after all options are explored and it is concluded that this is not in the child’s best interest, adoption can be considered. The court will consider all of the evidence before it, and where further information is needed to make a judgment about a child’s placement, they will instruct the local authority to explore this. The court will only make a judgment when it is satisfied that its decision is in the child’s best interest.

Children: Social Workers

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the decision to close the national assessment and accreditation system for children's social workers on the standard of service provided by social workers; and what steps he is taking to strengthen the training and skills of children’s social workers.

Will Quince: ​Social workers go above and beyond to protect and support children and young people. The work they have done during the COVID-19 outbreak has been phenomenal, continuing to visit families in person where required throughout this difficult time.We invest over £50 million each year on recruiting and developing child and family social workers to ensure that the workforce has the capacity, skills and knowledge to support and protect vulnerable children.This decision to end the current delivery model of the national assessment and accreditation system (NAAS) this financial year has been informed by feedback from social workers and local authorities, as well as learning from other professions that have moved to remote assessment during the COVID-19 outbreak.We remain committed to assessment and accreditation as a key element of continuing improvements in children’s social care. Ensuring social workers have the skills and knowledge they need is vital to improving outcomes for children and families.We continue to work in collaboration with the sector on assessment and accreditation building on the significant learning from NAAS.

Schools: Construction

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Priority School Building programme, if he will publish the (a) nature of the work undertaken in each setting, (b) contractors used to complete that work and (c) total cost to the public purse of those works.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints his Department has received in relation to work undertaken as part of the Priority School Rebuilding Programme since that programme began.

Mr Robin Walker: The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is rebuilding and/or refurbishing school buildings in the very worst condition across the country at 537 schools. A list of these is available at GOV.UK. Contractors for the programme were procured through Department for Education construction frameworks. Information about this is available on GOV.UK.   We do not have a central record of any complaints made relating to PSBP. Any complaints and feedback received are treated seriously and acted on accordingly.

Pupils: Dyslexia

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total number of pupils is in (a) state and (b) private schools; and what the total number of positive assessments for dyslexia is in (a) state and (b) private schools.

Will Quince: The total number of children in state schools is 8,342,521, as of January 2021. The total number of children in independent schools is 569,332, as of January 2021.The department does not hold the information requested about the number of children with dyslexia in state schools or independent schools. However, state schools report the number of pupils who have a specific learning difficulty, which usually includes dyslexia, as their primary need as being 156,797, and those for whom it is a secondary need as 27,237 pupils.

Ministry of Justice

Residential Women's Centres: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer on 1 February 2022 to Question 112647 on Offenders: Females, if he will publish the specification for the service delivery and building design for the first Residential Women’s Centre in Wales.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to question 112647 on Offenders: Females,  which local authorities his Department has worked with; and which sites are under consideration.

Victoria Atkins: I will publish both the specification for service delivery and for building design once a site has been purchased and planning permission has been secured, and prior to both building refurbishment works and service commencement. We have based our engagement on those local authority areas with sufficient demand and met with the following authorities: Bridgend, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Swansea. The specific sites that are under consideration are subject to commercial negotiations.

Prisoners: Death

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what were the 10 principal causes of death of those prisoners who died while in men's prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what were the 10 principal causes of death of those prisoners who died while in women's prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody up to December 2021 is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends, at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Those statistics are broken down by whether the death was self-inflicted, from natural causes, or from other non-natural causes, or by homicide. They also show the number of ‘awaiting further information’ cases where the cause of death cannot yet be ascertained and remains under investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman or a coroner.

Prisoners: Death

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many male prisoners died while in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female prisoners died while in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners died while in prisons in England and Wales as a percentage of the total prison population in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody, up to December 2021, broken down by category including gender is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The Department also publishes figures concerning the rate of deaths per 1,000 prisoners (based on the average prison population at the end of each month within the 12-month period). Please see section 1.1 of the Deaths in Custody 1978-2021 table.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fines have been issued to people in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency for breaches of covid-19 regulations.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice has published prosecutions, convictions and sentencing outcomes in England & Wales up to the year ending December 2020 and is available in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool’, available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987731/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020.xlsx.The Ministry of Justice does not hold information broken down by constituency, but by police force area or court.   The pivot table linked above provides annual/quarterly figures for fines given for COVID-19 offences by Police Force Area. Ellesmere Port and Neston comes under the Cheshire Police Force Area. To find the number of fines given for COVID-19 offences for Cheshire, filter by the following in the above data tool:Select ‘16857’, ‘16858’, ‘16859’, ‘16860’ and ‘16861’ in the ‘offence code’ filter.Select ‘Cheshire’ in the ‘Police Force Area’ filter.The number of fines issued for these offences in the Cheshire Police Force Area can be found in the resulting pivot table on row 37.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Energy: Overseas Investment

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2021 to Question 35598 on Fossil Fuels: Overseas Investment, if she will publish the projects in CDC Group’s energy portfolio as at December 2020.

James Cleverly: In July 2020, CDC launched its new Climate Strategy. Subsequently, in December 2020, CDC launched its Fossil Fuel Policy and Gas Guidance Tool, which is fully aligned with the UK Government's fossil fuel policy. The policy excludes investment in the vast majority of fossil fuel types with very limited exclusions.CDC has published its full energy portfolio data for 2020 as at December 2020. Data for 2020 is available on CDC's website: https://www.cdcgroup.com/en/news-insight/insight/articles/the-transition-to-net-zero-explaining-our-current-energy-portfolio/.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to the government of Saudi Arabia regarding the recent escalation in air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

James Cleverly: We urge all parties to the Yemen conflict to exercise restraint and avoid further civilian impact and suffering. The UK continues to raise the importance of protecting civilians and complying with International Humanitarian Law with members of the Saudi-led Coalition. I [Minister Cleverly] discussed the escalating violence in Yemen and the importance of protecting civilians with the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen on 26 January.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February to Question 113271, if she will publish the outcome of her Department's assessment of the recent reports of impact of airstrikes on civilians in Yemen.

James Cleverly: We are looking into recent reports of impact of airstrikes on civilians in Yemen. We urge all parties to the Yemen conflict to exercise restraint and avoid further civilian impact and suffering. The UK raises regularly the importance of protecting civilians with the Saudi-led Coalition.

Terrorism: Weapons of Mass Destruction

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking in response to the finding of the Integrated Review that it is likely that a terrorist group will launch a successful chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapon attack by 2030.

James Cleverly: The UK monitors closely acquisition and use by states and terrorists of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials. We work with our partners to uphold the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Security Material. The UK's 2021 Presidency of the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction (GP) generated funding and practical support to institutions which counter the CBRN threat. The UK has supported activity under UN Security Council Resolution 1540 on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to terrorists and other non-state actors.

Tibet and Xinjiang: Politics and Government

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the political situation in (a) Tibet and (b) Xinjiang.

Amanda Milling: The FCDO monitors closely the situations in Tibet and Xinjiang. We are deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Tibet, including reports of severe restrictions on freedom of religion of belief, Tibetans dying in custody, coercive control, and labour transfer schemes.We also have serious concerns about the human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang, including the extra-judicial detention of over a million Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in "political re-education camps" since 2017, systematic restrictions on Uyghur culture and the practice of Islam, and extensive and invasive surveillance targeting minorities.The UK Government continues to raise concerns about the human rights situation in China directly with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels. Most recently, the Prime Minister did so in a telephone call with President Xi on 29 October, as did the Foreign Secretary in her introductory call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 22 October. I personally raised the situation with the Chinese Ambassador to London in our meeting on 15 December.

Somalia: Humanitarian Situation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) implications of drought and (b) wider humanitarian situation in Somalia.

Vicky Ford: The UK is deeply concerned by the situation in Somalia. Multiple shocks, including threats from Covid-19, desert locusts and floods, have deepened Somalia's protracted climate and conflict-induced humanitarian crisis with over 7.7 million people in need of assistance and disrupted progress towards stability and economic recovery. The Federal Government of Somalia has declared a 'humanitarian emergency', with 90 percent of the country now facing severe to extreme drought.In 2020, the UK provided 2.5 million vulnerable Somalis with life-saving cash assistance (874,409), nutrition (303,938), health (453,639) and emergency WASH-Water and Sanitation (895,002). The £8 million support package for Somalia that I [Minister Ford] announced on 17 January will help to improve health and food security conditions of at least 500,000 people, and limit displacement linked to worsening drought conditions in the country. We support the Humanitarian Response Plan published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the UK is working closely with the Federal Government of Somalia, the UN and international partners to support an early and rapid response.

Tigray: Food Supply

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Emergency Food Security Assessment Tigray Region, Ethiopia, published by the World Food Programme on 28 January 2022, what assessment she has made of the impact on economic development in the Tigray region of Ethiopia of the prevalence of (a) severe and (b) emergency livelihood coping strategies documented in that report.

Vicky Ford: The World Food Programme's (WFP) recent assessment of Tigray highlighted the serious and wide-ranging effects of the conflict in Northern Ethiopia. The very significant uptake of damaging coping strategies, including seeking loans, begging and the fire sale of livestock, are an indication of the desperate conditions in the region.

Tigray: Food Supply

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Emergency Food Security Assessment Tigray Region, Ethiopia, published by World Food Programme on 28 January 2022, what steps she is taking to tackle gender disparities in food insecurity in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Vicky Ford: The gendered effects of the crisis in Tigray are of great concern to the UK. In accordance with the provisions of the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014 the UK is taking appropriate action to tackle gender disparities in food security and other sectors of the response. As part of this, for example, the UK has provided nutritional assistance to more than 27,000 pregnant and lactating women in Tigray through the World Food Programme.

Tigray: Food Supply

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Emergency Food Security Assessment Tigray Region, Ethiopia, published by World Food Programme on 28 January 2022, what assessment she has made of the long-term impact on (a) health, (b) economic development, (c) security and (d) political stability in Ethiopia of any failures to address the severe food insecurity in the Tigray region.

Vicky Ford: Growing humanitarian needs in Tigray, including extreme food insecurity, present significant risks to the region and more widely across Ethiopia. A failure to address critical requirements, such as malnutrition among young children, will have direct life-changing implications on individuals as well as knock-on effects on economic development and political stability.

Afghanistan: Famine

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent deaths from famine in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: On 28 January, the Foreign Secretary announced £97 million humanitarian assistance, delivering on the UK's promise to double UK aid to Afghanistan to £286 million in 2021-22. Afghanistan is now the world's most severe food security crisis and UK Aid will provide emergency food assistance for 4.47 million people. We are working closely with the World Food Programme to ensure that food insecure adults and children receive the support they need. We have now disbursed over £163 million to Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to address the most urgent humanitarian needs.

Tigray: Food Supply

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Emergency Food Security Assessment Tigray Region, Ethiopia, published by World Food Programme on 28 January 2022, what proportion of the food needs of (a) the 2.6 million people in the Tigray region of Ethiopia estimated to be moderately food insecure and (b) the 2 million people in the Tigray region of Ethiopia estimated to be severely food insecure could be met by existing UK-funded food security programmes in the event that all humanitarian access barriers were removed.

Vicky Ford: Since November 2020 the UK has provided more than £81 million to support crisis-affected communities across Ethiopia the bulk of which has been directed towards Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions which have been impacted by armed violence. Of this amount £8.6 million has been allocated to the World Food Programme (WFP) for its food and nutrition operations in northern Ethiopia. This helped WFP reach more than 400,000 people with food assistance and more than 116,000 people with nutrition support, although our programmes have faced repeated delays due to humanitarian access barriers.

Developing Countries: Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to track progress towards her Department's two global targets on girls’ education, endorsed last year by G7 leaders.

Vicky Ford: We have committed to publish an annual report tracking progress against the two new global objectives, in collaboration with UNESCO and the UN Girls' Education Initiative. The report is due to be published in the summer of 2022 and annually will highlight the progress that low- and lower-middle-income countries have made in getting 40 million more girls into school and 20 million more girls reading by the age of 10, as well as demonstrating the obstacles that are still to be overcome.

Barbados: Foreign Relations

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Barbadian counterpart following the recent General Election in that country.

Vicky Ford: The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has written to congratulate Foreign Minister Walcott on his reappointment to the Cabinet of the Government of Barbados. My Right Honourable friend the Prime Minister has also written to Prime Minister Mottley, to congratulate her on her historic re-election.

Developing Countries: Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to help advance the two global girls’ education targets since the meeting of the G7 in June 2021.

Vicky Ford: We have built on the momentum of the G7 and UK-hosted Global Education Summit to push forward progress on girls' education. At COP26 we shone a spotlight on the links between education and climate and called for countries to prioritise early learning in their efforts to mitigate climate change. In Afghanistan the UK has called for girls' right to secondary education to be restored, and UK humanitarian funds are helping provide safe spaces for learning for 38,000 displaced children, including 28,000 girls.As of mid-December, more than 647 million school children were still affected by partial or full school closures. Ministers are pressing national governments to reopen schools as a matter of priority, while our bilateral education programmes and flagship Girls' Education Challenge continue to support children to catch-up on the learning they have lost. On 26 January the UK helped launch a new report by the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel focused on recovering children's education, as part of our commitment to increase the global evidence base for education reform.

Cuba: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make representations to the Cuban authorities on reports from the Open Doors organisation of increased persecution of Christians in that country.

Vicky Ford: We have taken note of reports from the Christian non-governmental organisation, Open Doors.The UK is concerned by the arrests of religious leaders and reports of their continued maltreatment by the Government of Cuba. We have raised our concerns over ongoing detentions directly with the Cuban Government, both in London and Havana. We are clear that all Cubans should have the right to protest peacefully, and that detention must not be used as a tool to restrict freedom of expression, assembly, and religion or belief. The UK was one of the first countries to call for the Cuban people to be allowed to express their views freely and peacefully following the Cuban Government's response to demonstrations on 11 July.

Visas: Afghanistan

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance is available for people in Afghanistan with visas to enter the UK to travel to the UK.

James Cleverly: Providing support to those in Afghanistan with valid visas to enter the UK remains an HMG priority. We have been assisting British nationals and their Afghan dependents who have the correct UK visa or Indefinite Leave to Remain/Enter, to travel out of Afghanistan including through Qatar-sponsored flights. These flights are limited and controlled by the Qatari government. Commercial flights are also operating from a number of airports in Afghanistan to regional capitals, allowing individuals to travel independently where possible.

Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prepare for the 2023 UN High Level Meeting on TB.

Amanda Milling: The UK is committed to tackling TB and to strengthening health systems to address all causes of ill health. We continue to build strong global partnerships to drive forward progress on TB including through the UN General Assembly. We are also continuing to engage on preparations for the 2023 High Level Meeting on TB.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Finance

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will commit the full amount pledged to the Global Fund in 2019 for the 2022-23 financial year.

Amanda Milling: We pledged £1.4 billion in the 6th replenishment (2020-2022) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, making us the 2nd largest donor towards the 6th replenishment and 3rd largest donor since the Global Fund's creation. We are on track to fulfil our 6th replenishment pledge. Our health investments help countries to build stronger and more inclusive health systems to address all causes of ill health.

Ministry of Defence

Afghanistan: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer to Question 113243 on 31 January 2022, on British Nationals Abroad: Afghanistan, who asked the Minister to reply on behalf of the Prime Minister; whether the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Private Secretary arranged or attempted to arrange any charter flights to evacuate (a) animals, (b) constituents from Slough constituency and (c) other UK nationals remaining in Afghanistan as at 27 January 2022; and whether attempts were made by persons acting on behalf of a Government Minister outside of Operation Pitting to evacuate anyone or anything from Afghanistan.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Ministry of Defence can not answer on behalf of MP’s from outside the Department.

Ukraine: Antitank Missiles

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the risk that the Ukraine defence forces might use UK-supplied anti-tank weapons against civilian targets in the Donbas region of that country.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Power: Safety Measures

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has a policy on distributing stable iodine tablets to members of the public living near UK military and civil nuclear facilities; and if he will make a statement.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cameroon: Military Aid

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the documents publish on 26 January 2022 by Declassified UK, what steps her Department takes to monitor the potential diversion of military units trained by the UK from the Far North region to the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cameroon: Military Aid

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long the UK has been training Cameroon's Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide forces; and how much the training, capacity building and the building of the Salak training village has cost.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cameroon: Military Aid

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if she will carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of training given to the Cameroon Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide by the UK.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cameroon: Military Aid

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the training and facilities provided by the Government to Cameroon's Battalion d'Intervention Rapide unit are resourced from her Department's budget or that of another Government department.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date the Royal Navy plans to take command of operations to tackle migrant crossings in the Channel.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2021 to Question 80202 on Afghanistan: Refugees, how many Afghans with confirmed eligibility for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are in Afghanistan as of 1 February 2022.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Veterans UK: Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2022 to Question 105351 on Veterans UK: Telephone Services, whether the increase in calls to the Veterans UK helpline in August, September and October 2021 was a result of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: This information is not held as it is not recorded during phone calls. The Veterans UK Helpline did not report a noticeable trend in Veterans phoning as a result of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Elbit Systems UK

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will stop awarding contracts to the Leicester-based subsidiary of Elbit Systems in response to the use of Elbit Systems' equipment in the 2014 Gaza War.

Jeremy Quin: The Procurement Regulations set out who can apply for consideration under Ministry of Defence procurement tenders.

Nuclear Submarines

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to establish nuclear reactors to power the new nuclear submarines referred to in the AUKUS agreement; and what role the Government plans to have in the provision of those submarines.

Jeremy Quin: Nuclear powered submarines use an on-board nuclear reactor as a power source. AUKUS is a complex, long term project, and the trilateral 18-month programme of work is the first step in the process to identify potential opportunities and interdependencies with the UK submarine programme.

AUKUS

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee report, Scrutiny of international agreements: AUKUS Information Exchange Agreement, published on 13 January, which noted that no legislation or other necessary implementing measures are required before the Agreement can enter into force, whether he plans to ensure that the (a) AUKUS agreement and (b) future related agreements will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny; and how he plans to facilitate that scrutiny.

Jeremy Quin: Parliamentary involvement in International Agreements is determined by their scope. Not all fall within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 but where they do formal Parliamentary procedures are set out in statute.

USA: Visits Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the aircraft registration was of the RAF plane he used to fly to Washington DC on 11 July 2021; whether he used the same plane to return to London; and on what date he returned.

Mr Ben Wallace: I flew from the UK to the United States on 11 July 2021 on RAF Voyager ZZ335. I used the same aircraft to return to the UK on 24 July 2021.

Elbit Systems UK

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the names of the five subcontractors named in the January 2021 contract awarded to Elbit Systems UK to provide Dismounted joint fire integrators to the armed forces.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Elbit System’s subsidiary in Leicester was one of the five subcontractors named in the January 2021 contract awarded to Elbit Systems UK to provide dismounted joint fire integrators to the armed forces.

Jeremy Quin: It is for the prime contractor to publish details of subcontractors, subject to commercial confidentiality.

Veterans UK: Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2022 to Question 105352 on Veterans UK: Telephone Services, how many calls to the Veterans UK helpline were (a) answered and (b) unanswered in each year since 2015-16.

Leo Docherty: The below table details the number of calls the Veterans UK Helpline received for each financial year since 2015 and the subsequent answered or abandoned calls. Data prior to 2017 is not held for offered or abandoned calls. The Helpline remained open during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Calls received can range from enquires about pension entitlement or compensation claims to welfare support and advice. Abandoned calls can range from mis-dialled calls, lost signal or the caller hanging up, the cause is not recorded. Financial yearOffered CallsAnswered CallsAbandonment %2015-16x158,375x2016-17x127,464x2017-18142,806130,2259%2018-19142,751128,37310%2019-20129,301111,20614%2020-2133,32131,3456%2021-22 Year to date28,43127,7542% Please note that in my previous response to question 105352, the number of answered calls for financial year 2021-22 should read 25,402 not 53,894.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January to Question 111659 on Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions, why the data required to establish how many applicants withdrew or did not take steps to progress their claim has not been (a) digitised or (b) stored centrally.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January to Written Question 111659 on Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and War Pensions, whether the data required to establish how many applicants withdrew or did not take steps to progress their claim will be digitised as part of efforts to digitise War Pensions in the Veterans Strategy Action Plan.

Leo Docherty: The Veterans Welfare Service is available at all stages to assist a Veteran through the process of making a claim. Data is captured to understand the total number of claims made, clearance times and outcomes. There are many reasons why an applicant may not choose to continue a claim, which is a private matter for them, and is not information the Ministry of Defence needs to capture in order to process claims or monitor performance. Veterans UK is embarked on a £40 million programme to put all pension and compensation services online and digitise what can be very substantial paper files. This will significantly reduce the time taken to respond to veterans' enquiries. The design of the new system has not yet been finalised and I have asked my officials to investigate the practicalities of capturing management information on withdrawals as part of that work.

Armed Forces: HIV Infection

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date the new policy allowing people living with HIV to join the UK Armed Forces will be implemented.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to publicly communicate the changes in policy that enables (a) people living with HIV and (b) people who use HIV PrEP to join the armed forces.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in implementing the change in policy to allow people who use HIV PrEP to join the armed forces.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date the policy of serving personnel living with undetectable HIV being recognised as fully fit for operations will be implemented.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what internal changes have been made to implement the policy of serving personnel living with undetectable HIV being recognised as fully fit for operations.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to improve access to HIV and sexual health prevention services for serving armed forces personnel.

Leo Docherty: Recognising advancements in its medical management, on World AIDS Day last year the Government announced that being HIV positive will no longer be a barrier to serving in uniform. As a modern and inclusive employer, we are making changes that will make it easier for those with HIV to pursue an Armed Forces career.Since the announcement on World AIDS day, those using PrEP have been able to join and serve in the Armed Forces without restrictions. Armed Forces employment policies and recruitment processes have been revised to allow this. For those living with HIV who wish to join and serve without restrictions, a number of medical policy changes are expected to be agreed by the end of March 2022, with implementation following shortly after. A further Government announcement will be made about this to inform the public. Serving personnel living with HIV can already be considered fully fit for operations, subject to a satisfactory risk assessment outcome. Proposed policy changes will remove the requirement for a formal risk assessment. Implementation of the revised policy will see affected personnel reviewed in accordance with existing processes, with medical restrictions being removed as appropriate. In addition to these important policy changes, Defence has committed funding to extend and improve its sexual health promotion and testing campaign. Defence primary healthcare and other clinical care providers are continuing to receive enhanced education, in order to broaden the access to sexual health services for all serving Armed Forces personnel.

Ministry of Defence: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's average response time was to an enquiry from a hon. Member to the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Leo Docherty: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not have an MP hotline.The MOD does not have an account management team, and the MOD correspondence team does not hold information on the average response time to enquiries from MPs, as correspondence performance is monitored by the percentage of correspondence responded to within the target response time set by the Department.Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on Gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers. Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Armed Conflict

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what mechanisms are in place to enable members of the UK's armed forces or legal officers to report concerns about the legality of a military action.

James Heappey: The UK is bound to ensure that the Law of Armed Conflict is widely disseminated and this includes the provision of training by service lawyers for all military personnel. Members of the UK's armed forces must individually comply with the Law of Armed Conflict and report any concerns surrounding potential violations to their chain of command. Military commanders are responsible for preventing violations of the law, for reporting possible serious offences to the service police and for taking any necessary disciplinary action.

Armed Conflict: Civilians

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's process is for assessing the credibility of reports of civilian harm submitted to it.

James Heappey: Every care is taken to avoid or minimise civilian casualties. To this end, the UK has robust procedures to ensure that our actions, including airstrikes and subsequent battle damage assessments, are conducted in accordance with UK law and International Humanitarian Law. However, we accept the possibility that there could be instances of civilian casualties about which we are unaware, despite our best efforts to assess battle damage. For that reason, in 2016, the then Defence Secretary committed that Ministry of Defence officials would work with civil society organisations on this issue. As a result, we always re-examine any new information relating to a potential incident submitted to us by such organisations, where it is possible that UK forces may have been involved. Parliament will always be informed of any instance where we assess a UK airstrike is responsible for a civilian casualty incident, whether incurred during a new strike, or as a result of re-examining historic strikes using new information.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress she has made in processing Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme applications.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have qualified for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to date.

James Heappey: The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) for those who worked with the UK in Afghanistan remains open. The ARAP scheme is not time limited, and the Government is working to facilitate the continued relocation of those who are eligible. As of 31 January, over 107,000 applications to the ARAP scheme have been received since the commencement of the scheme in April 2021; many of which are found to be incomplete or duplications. A dedicated team of caseworkers are working seven days a week to process pending applications, and to date their efforts have resulted in the relocation to the UK of over 8,000 eligible applicants and dependants.

Department for Work and Pensions

Kickstart Scheme

Dr Ben Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Kickstart Scheme placements have been (a) approved, (b) advertised and (c) started by young people by (i) nation, (ii) region and (iii) sector as of 31 January 2022.

Mims Davies: As of the 31st January 2022, over 130,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and over 235,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme. Over 305,000 jobs have been approved for funding. Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 31st January and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards. Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Over time, some previously approved jobs have been removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application. Included in the Great Britain total are a small number of jobs made available (less than 100 in total) that have an unrecorded job location. Data on approved jobs is taken from a snapshot of the Kickstart system at a point in time. This figure can be affected by retrospective changes resulting from previously approved grant applications being rescinded. The number of approved jobs is defined as the number of jobs associated with approved applications recorded on the Kickstart application system on the date above. This total excludes approved jobs that have been withdrawn from the Kickstart Scheme by agreement with employers and gateways. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme. Table 1: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts to 31st January 2022, Great Britain, by nation and region  Total jobs made availableTotal jobs startedTotal, Great Britain 235,000  130,000England 204,000  113,000 East Midlands14,0008,000East of England18,0009,000London51,00028,000North East11,0006,000North West30,00017,000South East26,00014,000South West14,0008,000West Midlands21,00012,000Yorkshire and The Humber19,00011,000Scotland 19,000  11,000 Wales 12,000  6,000  Table 2: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts to 31st January 2022, Great Britain, by Sector  SectorTotal jobs made availableTotal jobs startedAdministration57,35032,660Animal Care1,6101,060Beauty & Wellbeing1,7201,080Business & Finance8,5004,820Computing Technology & Digital15,84010,490Construction & Trades7,2304,200Creative & Media20,99013,110Delivery & Storage6,3803,710Emergency & Uniform Services520290Engineering & Maintenance7,0803,980Environment & Land4,6202,710Government Services1,000460Healthcare6,1402,770Home Services1,560730Hospitality & Food26,38011,210Law & Legal650410Managerial960570Manufacturing6,4303,600Retail & Sales34,97020,450Science & Research990650Social Care4,7402,140Sports & Leisure5,9203,200Teaching & Education11,0005,410Transport900330Travel & Tourism1,110390

Kickstart Scheme

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many vacancies had been submitted to Kickstart by employers as of 31 January 2022.

Mims Davies: As of the 31st January 2022, over 235,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme. We are still processing the final vacancies submitted by prospective employers by the 31st January deadline. Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.

Employment: Young People

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department plans to take to support young people aged 16 to 24 in (a) Solihull and (b) England to find employment.

Mims Davies: The Plan for Jobs provides a comprehensive package of support for young people, including the Youth Offer and Kickstart. The Kickstart scheme is dedicated to helping 16 to 24-year olds at risk of long-term unemployment develop their skills and experience through fully funded six-month jobs. As of the 31st January 2022, over 130,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people.The DWP Youth Offer provides intensive work search support to young people aged 16 to 24 on Universal Credit and in the Intensive Work Search group. It includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches for young people with complex needs and additional barriers, and over 150 Youth Hubs across England, Scotland, and Wales. In Solihull, Support for Schools advisers are engaging with secondary schools across Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), including supporting a recent careers fair at Solihull College. Solihull Youth Hub in Chelmsley Wood is co-located and co-delivered with SMBC to support young people into employment, education, and training opportunities. We are also working with Solihull Children in Care team to ensure that all 16 to 24-year olds leaving care are included in the Universal Credit advance claim process and receive Work Coach support. We continue to work with partners to deliver job fairs and Kickstart employer events as part of our commitment to supporting young people into sustainable employment.

Kickstart Scheme: Expenditure

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost of the Kickstart Scheme has been for her Department as of 27 January 2022.

Mims Davies: The National Audit Office (NAO) report on the Kickstart Scheme was published in November 2021. This report contains details on spend as of the end of September 2021. You can access the NAO report here. Information relating to Kickstart grants will be published by the Cabinet Office on the Government website in due course, as is standard practice for all Government general grants. This can be viewed here. To note, this information is normally published approximately a year after the financial year end and includes grant value and recipients.

Jobcentres: Coronavirus

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department has issued to Jobcentre staff on the celebration of religious festivals, birthdays, retirements and other occasions during periods of covid-19 restrictions.

Guy Opperman: In respect of the workplace, we ask staff at all times and in all circumstances to comply with covid safety measures in place.

Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy published 28 July 2021, what progress the Disability Unit has made on developing a UK-wide campaign to increase public awareness and understanding of disability, dispel ingrained and unhelpful stereotypes and promote the diverse contributions disabled people have made, and continue to make, to public life.

Chloe Smith: The Disability Unit is progressing the development of a UK-wide campaign designed to increase public awareness and understanding of disability, and change perceptions and challenge unhelpful stereotypes and behaviours towards disabled people. The Disability Unit appointed an independent agency in Autumn 2021 to conduct research to identify and better understand unhelpful stereotypes and perceptions, and the behaviours found to be most harmful to disabled people.

Personal Independence Payment: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of calls to the personal independence payment new claims line have (a) taken over 30 minutes and (b) had calls ended before answered, in each of the last three years.

Chloe Smith: Please see information below relating to the two specific questions contained within the PQ:The first table details the total number of calls that lasted longer than 30 minutes for each of the years in question We have also include what this number represents as a percentage of all the calls answered during that year. Talk Time – Time the Agent spent in conversation with the customerHold Time – Time spent searching systems to deal with the call.  201920202021Total Call Duration Over 30 minutes (Talktime + Holdtime)23,40922,62951,930% Calls Duration 30min v Offered1.93%2.44%4.21%  The second table (below) details the calls abandoned (not answered) following the customer calling the relevant number and deciding to hang up prior to the call being answered, (they joined the queue to have their call dealt with but hung up prior to an Agent taking the call)It details: Calls offered – Customer that entered the queueCalls Answered – Calls answered by the AgentCalls Abandoned – Customers that hung up before the call could be answered Percentage of Calls Answered – A calculation to assess the number of calls answered compared to the volume of calls that entered the Queue. This is an industry standard telephony performance measure.  201920202021Calls Offered1,212,095927,0281,151,381Calls Answered1,070,931812,1281,029,980Calls Abandoned (Volumes)141,164114,900121,401Calls Abandoned (%)11.65%12.39%10.54%Percentage of Calls Answered (PCA)88.35%87.61%89.46% The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only (some of which is provided by DWP suppliers) and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Universal Credit: Disability

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been affected by the underpayment of benefits for those eligible for the Severe Disability Premium and the Enhanced Disability Premium after transitioning to Universal Credit from the legacy benefit system in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Chloe Smith: No such estimate has been made.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the finances of (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment claimants who have to wait until tribunal in order to receive their correct benefits award.

Chloe Smith: The Department understands the potential effect of waiting for a tribunal hearing which is why our aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. Recent improvements to our decision-making processes mean that Decision Makers can better gather relevant additional evidence. This helps to ensure that people get the support they are entitled to as quickly as possible, without the need for a tribunal appeal.

Pregnancy: Employment

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will undertake a communication campaign to raise awareness amongst employers of their legal obligation to undertake an individual risk assessment where a woman has notified her employer that she is pregnant, has given birth or is breastfeeding.

Chloe Smith: The Health and Safety Executive is in the process of amending its guidance and will work with stakeholders and interested parties to communicate and promote the amended guidance to support employers in carrying out individual risk assessments.

Industrial Health and Safety: Pregnancy

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will require the Health and Safety Executive to report annually on the number of (a) requests for advice from (i) workers and (ii) employers on health and safety for new and expectant mothers and (b) cases in which enforcement action was taken and the type of enforcement action carried out.

Chloe Smith: The Health and Safety Executive does not routinely publish figures of the number or breakdown of requests for advice received and does not intend to do so. Details of all enforcement action are available on HSE’s website. However, over the last five financial years and current year to date, the number of concerns reported to HSE related to the terms ‘pregnant’, ‘pregnancy’ and ‘new mother’ are: Financial YearPregnancy/New mother RelatedTotal Concerns Received% of total16/1716722,4970.74%17/1815626,5070.59%18/1914629,4760.50%19/2017332,4900.53%20/2128246,1030.61%21/YTD10419,9040.52% There has been no enforcement action taken over this period related to the same terms.

Industrial Health and Safety: Pregnancy

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January to Question 98936 on Industrial Health & Safety: Mothers, what the timetable is for the Health and Safety Executive amending its guidance on Protecting New and Expectant Mothers at Work to explicitly state that an employer must undertake an individual risk assessment where a woman has notified her employer that she is pregnant, has given birth or is breastfeeding.

Chloe Smith: The Health and Safety Executive is currently working with stakeholders and interested parties to update this guidance and will publish this as soon as possible.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that claimants receive the correct benefit award after their assessment without requiring a mandatory reconsideration or tribunal.

Chloe Smith: The Department’s aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey. We have made improvements to our decision-making processes to ensure that people get the support they are entitled to as quickly as possible, because decision makers can better gather relevant additional evidence earlier in the process.

Disability: Databases

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy published 28 July 2021, what recent steps the Disability Unit has taken on improving the availability, quality, relevance and comparability of government disability data through (a) a cross-government group responsible for overseeing and implementing data improvement plans and (b) a panel of experts on the lived experience of disabled people to assess findings from research and to provide advice on data improvement projects.

Chloe Smith: The Disability Unit has analysed existing government disability data, and designed a framework to guide departments’ disability data assessment and improvement activities.The framework aims to improve the availability, quality, relevance, and comparability of government disability data. The Disability Unit is working with three government departments to pilot this disability data improvement framework throughout 2022.The Disability Unit has commenced work to establish a panel of experts on the lived experience of disabled people to assess findings from research and to provide advice on data improvement projects.

Personal Independence Payment: Telephone Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2022 to Question 93774, on Personal Independence Payment: Telephone Services, what discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in response to the increase in the average speed of answer from September 2021; and what steps her Department plans to take to reduce that speed.

Chloe Smith: Relevant stakeholders are invited to the DWP Operational Stakeholder Engagement Forum (OSEF) on a monthly basis to be updated with matters arising in DWP, including Q&A sessions. The Disability Services Advocacy Team continue to liaise directly with stakeholders on a regular basis, providing updates on the PIP telephony service position. Stakeholders are also reminded of the formal DWP escalation routeway available for complex and vulnerable cases. The Department has taken several actions to improve the speed of answer on the PIP Telephony Enquiry service: We have deployed additional resources, including recruitment of more people to support improvements to the service. Introduced new technology that will improve information for customers when they first call the enquiry line, and a simplified identity and verification process. These enhancements will increase telephony handling efficiency and improve the customer experience. We are also developing new and improved SMS messages to keep customers up to date and better informed. This will reduce the need for customers to contact the PIP Enquiry Line, many of whom call to check on the progress of their claim.

Disability Aids: Technology

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy published 28 July 2021, what steps the Disability Unit has taken on considering new ways to make assistive and accessible technology part of the everyday design of public services.

Chloe Smith: As part of the Government's ambition for the UK to be the most accessible place in the world to live and work with technology, we are exploring how we might drive improvements in public services through a Centre for Assistive and Accessible Technology. The Disability Unit has been delivering workshops in partnership with Policy Connect to develop options for the Centre, working with disability organisations and charities, the tech sector, government departments and academia.

Pregnancy: Employment

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of pregnant women who are suspended on full pay by their employer under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 each year.

Chloe Smith: The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 do not require the collection of this information. The Health and Safety Executive cannot provide an estimate of the number of workers who are suspended on full pay by their employer.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs entered the UK from the European Union in each month between 1 January 2021 to 27 January 2022.

Jo Churchill: Since we left the EU, the EU import data was collated from PIMS which is APHA’s (Post Import Management System) and accounts for all Imports that have been entered using IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system). The information that we have provided is a true reflection of the information that we have access to. We can’t guarantee the accuracy of this data, as we can only rely on the information that has been input into IPAFFS by traders.   Number of dogs from EU to UK 1 January 21 to 27 January 22MonthNumber of DogsJan-21771Feb-215547Mar-217517Apr-218007May-216893Jun-215753Jul-216458Aug-216087Sep-216894Oct-215688Nov-216007Dec-214532Jan-224966

Cats and Dogs: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) dogs and (b) cats were imported under the Balai Directive in each month of 2021.

Jo Churchill: Since we left the EU, the EU import data was collated from PIMS which is APHA’s (Post Import Management System) and accounts for all Imports that have been entered using IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system). The information that we have provided is a true reflection of the information that we have access to. We can’t guarantee the accuracy of this data, as we can only rely on the information that has been input into IPAFFS by traders. Number of Cats and Dogs imported under the Balai Directive in 2021MonthDogCatJanuary77150February5547425March7517478April8007446May6893413June5753319July6458503August6087505September6894672October5688514November6007539December4532473

Dogs: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs entered the UK from (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) Romania in each month from January 2021 to January 2022 inclusive.

Jo Churchill: Since we left the EU, the EU import data was collated from PIMS which is APHA’s (Post Import Management System) and accounts for all Imports that have been entered using IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system). The information that we have provided is a true reflection of the information that we have access to. We can’t guarantee the accuracy of this data, as we can only rely on the information that has been input into IPAFFS by traders.  Number of dogs entered the UK January 21 to 27th January 2022MonthRepublic of IrelandRomaniaJan-21101483Feb-214963511Mar-216474133Apr-215304507May-216833517Jun-215862746Jul-215223459Aug-216132935Sep-216953236Oct-215382920Nov-216223059Dec-214062232Jan-226602776

Marine Protected Areas: Fishing Vessels

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's proposals to introduce restrictions on bottom trawling in an initial 4 offshore English MPAs, when the Marine Management Organisation’s workplan for introducing management measures the remaining 36 English offshore Marine Protected Areas will be published.

Rebecca Pow: The Marine Management Organisation is developing an ambitious three-year programme for assessing sites and implementing byelaws, where necessary, to manage fishing activity in all English offshore Marine Protected Areas. Byelaws for the first four sites are being finalised and the programme for the remaining sites will be published as soon as possible.

Marine Protected Areas: Fishing Vessels

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the publication of the Government’s response to the consultations on bottom trawling restrictions in four offshore Marine Protected Areas, has been delayed.

Rebecca Pow: The Fisheries Act 2020 introduced new powers enabling the Marine Management Organisation to implement management measures within our offshore Marine Protected Areas. Work on implementing this began with a public consultation in February 2021, almost immediately after the powers became available. These byelaws are now in the process of being finalised.

Bird Flu: Disease Control

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to limit the spread of avian flu.

Jo Churchill: Defra’s objective in tackling any outbreak of avian influenza is to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible from the UK poultry and captive-bird population and regain UK World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) disease-free status. Defra’s approach to the control of avian influenza is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and the Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals in England. Swift and humane culling of birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity is used to prevent the amplification of avian influenza and subsequent environmental contamination and to reduce the risk of disease spread from infected premises. Current policy is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control. In addition, to mitigate the risk of spread of avian influenza from wild birds to poultry and other captive birds, an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) came into force across Great Britain on 3 November 2021 and in Northern Ireland on the 17 November 2021, with additional housing measures coming into force across the UK on 29 November 2021. These measures mean that it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers across the UK to keep their birds indoors and follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease in poultry and other captive birds. In line with the implementation of the AIPZ, changes to the bird gathering general license in England, Wales and Scotland were made on the 8 November 2021 and in Northern Ireland on the 17 November 2021, such that gatherings of poultry are no longer permitted.

Customs: Contracts

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her timetable is for awarding contracts for the delivery and operation of her Department's three inland border control posts.

Victoria Prentis: Defra is in the final stages of a competitive tender to secure a site operator for the Sevington and Dover Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Border Control Posts (BCPs). The appointment of the operator for these sites will mark a major step towards completion of the BCPs for implementation of SPS inspections from July 2022. The BCP operator will deliver a comprehensive facilities management function to enable the Port Health Authority and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to deliver their inspection services. The BCP operator will appoint the security, logistics, maintenance, and other support staff for the site. The Department for Transport (DfT) is the leading Government department responsible for the construction of the Sevington site. All construction contracts for the Sevington site are managed by DfT. In November 2021 Defra secured the lease on an existing warehouse at the Dover White Cliffs Business Park. The site was constructed in 2003 and had previously been used by P&O as a distribution warehouse and became vacant in March 2020. The Dover site will be converted to create a BCP to facilitate SPS checks of some goods entering the UK via the Port of Dover. Defra will allocate funds to Kent County Council (KCC) by way of ‘Section 31’ grants for the conversion and construction works of the site. KCC will issue and manage the necessary contracts on behalf of Defra. A further facility in Kent to accommodate all other animal species not handled at the Sevington SPS BCP is also being sourced. Defra will make the necessary and appropriate contract arrangements in due course.

Fishing Limits

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to introduce catch limits for non-quota species for fly shooting.

Victoria Prentis: We are examining our policies for fly shooting and working to develop more robust management of non-quota species, which these vessels are targeting alongside quota stocks. Any action taken needs to be evidence-based, and in line with the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Fishing Vessels: Marine Environment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish his Department's environmental impact assessment of fly shooting in English waters.

Victoria Prentis: UK Fisheries Administrations are working closely together on the development of future plans, including for non-quota fisheries, to ensure we secure sustainability of our stocks, the environment and a thriving industry. In England, we are examining our policies for flyseining and working to develop more robust management of non-quota species, which these vessels are targeting alongside quota stocks.

Neonicotinoids: Regulation

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the (a) advice sought in reversing the ban on the use of neonicotinoids and (b) any assessments that the Government has undertaken on the impact on (i) bees, (ii) pollination and (iii) food production of the use of those insecticides.

Victoria Prentis: The UK Government continues to support the existing restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids. We will consider emergency authorisations for limited and controlled use in special circumstances where diseases, pests or weeds cannot be controlled by any other reasonable means. An emergency authorisation has been agreed for the use of a neonicotinoid seed treatment for sugar beet crops in 2022. The reasons for this decision and the advice provided by the Health and Safety Executive, the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides, Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Defra economists can be found at Neonicotinoid product as seed treatment for sugar beet: emergency authorisation application - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Food

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of public-private partnership to increase fibre intake ss part of his Department’s forthcoming food strategy White Paper.

Victoria Prentis: The forthcoming Government Food Strategy is a once in a generation opportunity to create a food system that feeds our nation today and protects it for tomorrow. It will build on existing work across Government and identify new opportunities to make the food system healthier, more sustainable, more resilient, and more accessible for those across the UK. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to shift towards a greener and more sustainable lifestyle, whilst maintaining people's freedom of choice, including on their diet. The Government's advice in the Eatwell Guide, which provides advice on how to have a healthier and more sustainable diet, recommends food that is high in fibre, fruit, and vegetables. Defra is committed to listening to opinions from stakeholders across the entirety of the food system. We actively encourage dialogues with a wide range of stakeholders to identify options to transform the food system and are keen to work closely with industry to deliver lasting change.

Home Office

Communist Party of China

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential level of risk to the UK Parliament arising from Christine Lee's reported attempted interference in UK politics on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.

Damian Hinds: The Home Secretary made the Government’s position on this issue clear in a statement to the House on 17 January.Investigations are ongoing, and it would be inappropriate to comment further on intelligence matters. However, the interference alert was used in this case by our intelligence agencies to mitigate and prevent further risk to Parliament.Unfortunately, we must face the reality that some foreign states will seek to operate covertly and below current criminal thresholds in an attempt to interfere with our democracy. We can expect to see these kinds of alerts become more commonplace as a result of the work our world class intelligence agencies who have adapted to counter these threats.The Government intends to bring forward new legislation to further enhance our ability to counter threats from foreign states when Parliamentary time allows.

Counter-terrorism

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children under the age of 18 were (a) referred to the Prevent programme and (b) adopted as a Channel case in the financial year 2020-21.

Damian Hinds: In the year ending March 2021, there were 1,920 referrals to Prevent for individuals under the age of 18. Of these referrals, 347 (18%) were adopted as a Channel case. It should be noted that there were 32 referrals to Prevent in the year ending March 2021 where the individuals age was unknown.Please note that we do not collect information on the number of individuals referred into and adopted by the Channel programme, only the number of referrals and adoptions. This is because one person can be referred into Prevent, and adopted onto Channel, multiple times.The Channel process is entirely voluntary and those that are under-18 must have the consent of their parent/guardian to be adopted as a Channel case.You can access more information on referrals and adopted cases on the 2020-21 Channel Statistics Publication:Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2020 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Peacekeeping Operations: Ukraine

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Department is monitoring the actions of UK nationals acting as mercenaries in the Ukraine.

Damian Hinds: Where a UK national travels overseas to engage in potentially unlawful combat or conflict, they should expect to be investigated upon their return to the UK, to establish whether they pose a risk and whether any offences have been committed.Any decision to prosecute will be a matter for the Police and Crown Prosecution Service, both of whom are operationally independent of Government.

National Security

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals on countering state threats.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office will be introducing new legislation to provide the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to tackle the evolving threat from hostile activity by foreign states.The Government is reviewing responses to the Home Office Public Consultation on legislative proposals to tackle state threats. Legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Coronavirus: 
Government Assistance

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions and correspondence the National Crime Agency has had with (a) HM Treasury and (b) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on fraud in the coronavirus business support schemes in the last three months.

Damian Hinds: The Government has consistently stated that fraud is unacceptable, and we are taking action on multiple fronts to recover money lost to error and fraud and, where necessary, take legal action against those who have sought to exploit the Covid support schemes.The National Crime Agency works with a range of partners, including HM Treasury and BEIS, to achieve its operational priorities. They do not comment on communication with partners that could impact the operational response.

Visas: Afghanistan

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her timetable is for issuing people who arrived from Afghanistan in 2021 and who were issued with six month temporary visas to be issued with (a) permanent visas and (b) national insurance numbers.

Victoria Atkins: Our aim is to conclude the process of confirmation of Indefinite Leave to Remain status before anyone’s leave expires.Those who entered were granted limited leave to enter with access to public funds and employment. This status is not a bar to them being permanently housed or to starting their life in the UK, including taking employment.We have made arrangements to ensure prospective employers can contact the Home Office to confirm individuals’ right to take employment before the Department of Work and Pensions issue them with a National Insurance number.

Disability: Career Development

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what progress her Department has made on building a pipeline of talent for the accessibility profession by using existing successful and emerging career development programmes to tackle the skills shortage.

Rachel Maclean: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Disability: Electronic Government

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what progress her Department has made on improving how digital products and services are procured (a) by the government and (b) across the public sector as a whole.

Rachel Maclean: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Disability: Departmental Coordination

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what progress her Department has made on defining a cross-government accessibility profession.

Rachel Maclean: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Internet: Fraud

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase the proportion of online scams resulting in (a) a full investigation and (b) the prosecution of the perpetrator.

Damian Hinds: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Migration

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the debate entitled European Pact on Migration and Asylum, which took place at the Council of Europe between 24 and 28 January 2022; and what steps she plans to take to assess its conclusions.

Kevin Foster: A: The UK government is aware of the debate entitled European Pact on Migration and Asylum, during the recent session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and notes the resolution agreed by PACE on the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact. The UK Government is committed to increasing cooperation with European member states to strengthen borders and to deter secondary movement to the UK. The Nationality and Borders Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will drive forward reform of the UK’s asylum system.

Visas: VFS Global

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the quality and efficiency of service at visa application centres operated by VFS Global.

Kevin Foster: UKVI has two suppliers, VFS Global and TLScontact who are contracted to run UK visa application centres (VACs) overseas. UKVI works closely with both suppliers to ensure all VACs are operating to the required quality and efficiency standards through regular monitoring of performance data and customer feedback.

British Nationality

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 105513, on British Nationality, how a person can also seek to exercise their statutory right to appeal against a decision in the event that they have not been informed of that decision as proposed by the provisions of the Nationality and Borders Bill.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 105513 on British Nationality, whether the provisions referenced only apply to those who have been naturalised or to all British citizens.

Kevin Foster: We do not wish to deny a person their statutory right of appeal where we have made a decision to deprive. The proposed amendment to section 40A of the British Nationality Act 1981 preserves the right of appeal in cases where the notice of a decision to deprive has not been served. Once a person is in contact with the Home Office, they are given a copy of the deprivation decision notice. They can then seek to exercise their statutory right of appeal against the decision.Any British citizen can be deprived of that citizenship where it is conducive to the public good, unless it would make them stateless. Those who have registered or naturalised as British can be deprived where citizenship was obtained by fraudulent means. The proposed amendment to section 40A does not seek to alter or widen the power to deprive; it merely seeks to enable decisions to be served validly where the Home Office is unable to give written notice, such as where the person concerned has travelled to a war zone.

Members: Correspondence

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley of 21 October 2021, case reference LH14045; and what progress her Department has made on the application connected to that case.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley dated 15 September 2021, case reference LH14942; and what progress her Department has made on the application connected to that case.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley dated 15 September 2021, case reference LH16318; and if her Department will provide an update on that urgent application.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley dated 15 September 2021, case reference LH16773; and if her Department will provide an update on that urgent application.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley dated 15 September 2021, case reference LH16830; and if her Department will provide an update on that urgent application.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley dated 15 September 2021, case reference LH16834; and if her Department will provide an update on that urgent application.

Tom Pursglove: I apologise for the delay. UK Visas and Immigration, MP Account Management team responded to all of the enquiries sent by the hon. Member on 28 January 2022.

Rupert Burgess

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to provide to Rupert Burgess the documents he discussed with her.

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide by 2 February 2022 the information asked for by Clive Stafford-Smith on the cases of Muriel McKay and Krishna Maharaj.

Kit Malthouse: The files in question are not owned by the Home Office, and so the department is not in a position to make decisions as to access. Officials are exploring this further with a view to directing the family to the appropriate body if possible.Any authority in receipt of such a request for information will consider the request on its merits, according to their standard procedures, as the Home Office has.

Sexual Offences: Psychiatric Patients

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason Police in Surrey, investigating the impregnation of a mentally-ill woman by an employee of a care unit to which she had been admitted, under section, claim that the matter is still under investigation more than two years later, when the (a) facts are not in dispute and (b) child faces permanent relocation to Ghana to live with the parents of the father; and if she will take steps to ensure that it is established whether or not the potential offence meets the criteria for a reasonable prospect of conviction.

Kit Malthouse: The Minister cannot comment on ongoing Police investigations but will make a request that the Chief Constable of Surrey Police contacts you to provide an appropriate answer.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to ensure that Members of Parliament are kept regularly briefed on the accommodation of Afghan refugees in their constituencies.

Victoria Atkins: I have taken a number of steps to keep Members of Parliament up to date on Afghan resettlement. I have previously sent two letters to colleagues; one providing an update on casework to the Home Office on Afghanistan and one updating on the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).I gave detailed evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee and I have updated the House on a number of occasions, including in January announcing the launch of the ACRS. Members can also continue to raise specific enquiries with MP Account Management via the Home Office MP Enquiry line or through requested engagement surgeries.I meet individual MPs to discuss bridging accommodation queries within their constituencies and will be holding a general drop in session after recess for MPs with bridging accommodation in their constituencies.

Spiking: Alcoholic Drinks

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what laws are in place to protect people from having their drinks spiked; and what penalties do those laws carry.

Kit Malthouse: A range of criminal offences are in place to deal with this behaviour. The precise offence committed will depend on the facts of the individual case but the offences available to the police and Crown Prosecution Service include the following: Section, ActDescriptionPenaltiesS.18 Offences Against the Person Act 1861Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harmThe maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.S.20 Offences Against the Person Act 1861Inflicting bodily injury, with or without weapon.The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years.S.23 Offences Against the Person Act 1861Maliciously administering poison, &c. so as to endanger life or inflict grievous bodily harm.The maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.S.24 Offences Against the Person Act 1861Maliciously administering poison, &c. with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy any other person.“To be kept in penal servitude for life” – No specific sentencingS.47 Offences Against the Person Act 1861Assault occasioning bodily harm.“To be kept in penal servitude” – No specific sentencingS.61 Sexual Offences Act 2003Administering a substance with intent to engage in a non-consensual sexual activityOn summary conviction: Imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or both.On conviction on indictment: Imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.S.39 Criminal Justice Act 1988Common assault and batteryImprisonment not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding the level 5 on the standard scale, or both. We have listened closely to the concerns that have been raised about the lack of a specific spiking offence. The Home Office is now considering a criminal offence to target this behaviour directly and this work is ongoing.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol in England.

Kit Malthouse: There are no plans to introduce Minimum Unit Pricing for Alcohol in England.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghans are in bridging hotels as of 1 February 2021.

Victoria Atkins: There are currently over 12,000 evacuees in bridging hotel accommodation at the present time.This cohort is made up of British and Afghan Nationals who may be eligible for Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) or Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government Services: Closures

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of local authority (a) leisure centres or swimming pools, (b) libraries and (c) children’s centres that have closed since 2010 in England.

Neil O'Brien: The department does not collect this data.Sport England have provided data confirming that 368 swimming pools have closed since 2010.The basic dataset of static public libraries published by the Arts Council England in August 2021 https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication/basic-dataset-static-public-libraries, indicates there were around 200 permanent closures of static libraries in England over the period 1 April 2010 to 31 December 2019. As of 31 December 2019, 2970 static public libraries remained open.Based on information supplied by local authorities as of 31 December 2021 to the Get Information about Schools database https://www.get-information-schools.service.gov.uk, 637 children’s centres had closed since 2010.

European Social Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to allocate matched funding to projects currently supported by the European Social Fund in Northern Ireland during the 2022-23 financial year.

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what representations his Department has received for matched funding to support projects currently funded by the European Social Fund in Northern Ireland during the 2022-23 financial year.

Neil O'Brien: The Government is currently engaging with the Northern Ireland Executive at an official level regarding the concerns raised by some Northern Ireland stakeholders around programmes currently running under the European Social Fund.UK-wide funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will ramp up to at least match receipts from EU structural funds in Northern Ireland. which on average reached around £1.5 billion per year. Spending Review 2021 fulfils this commitment, with the announcement of over £2.6 billion for the UKSPF over the next three years. The Government will publish further details on the fund in due course.

Urban Areas: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent progress his Department has made on considering how it can support projects that increase high street accessibility for disabled people, in the design of any future local growth funding.

Neil O'Brien: The Government is committed to creating vibrant, mixed use high streets which are open and accessible to everybody. We have prioritised measures that help give councils and communities the flexibility and support they need to create inclusive and thriving places through the ambitious Planning White Paper, the full package of investment in towns and high streets, and the Levelling Up White Paper.Successful projects from round 1 of the Levelling Up Fund, the Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund have included accessibility improvements for high streets across the UK. DLUHC is also making up to £30 million available to local authorities in England to boost the number of Changing Places toilets in existing buildings over the next three financial years.

Community Centres

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing a model of interfaith centres in communities.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing cultural centres in all communities.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure the provision of (a) community centres and (b) other public spaces in communities to allow minority and other groups access to premises to carry out civic activities.

Neil O'Brien: The Government recognises the contribution which faith organisations and minority communities make to our civic and cultural life, and we are committed to supporting all our communities to have the power to shape their local area and work together to improve their neighbourhoods.In initiatives the department has funded, we have sought to support efforts to build friendly, working relationships between people of different faiths to promote tolerance and understanding and to help focus efforts to tackle social problems.The £150 million Community Ownership Fund demonstrates our determination to ensure that all communities are able to protect the community assets and local facilities which are important to them by bringing them into community ownership.In round one of the fund, we have provided £983,088 of support to help community groups take ownership of community centres.

Local Government: Devolution

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with hon. Members representing constituencies in (a) Cheshire and (b) Warrington on devolution in those areas.

Neil O'Brien: The Government’s flagship Levelling Up White Paper was published on the 2 February and set out our plan to transform the United Kingdom by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it.At the heart of the White Paper are twelve bold national missions, one of which is to ensure that devolution will drive activity to level up and strengthen communities. Every part of England that wants a devolution deal by 2030 will have one, with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution, with a simplified, long-term funding settlement.Devolution must be locally-led, it will not be imposed by Government. Building on previous discussions with my officials over the late summer, I hope that Cheshire & Warrington will actively consider the opportunities now available to them through the devolution framework. My officials will be pleased to discuss Cheshire & Warrington’s locally led proposals if they are interested in pursuing a devolution deal.

Multiple Occupation: Antisocial Behaviour

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned research on the potential relationship between levels of anti-social behaviour and the proportion of houses in multiples occupancy in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Eddie Hughes: Between 2019 and 2021, the Department neither conducted nor commissioned research on the relationship between levels of anti-social behaviour and the proportion of houses in multiple occupation.

Hostels: Domestic Abuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of hostel provision for women who have experienced domestic violence.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of facilities for children in hostels for victims of domestic violence.

Eddie Hughes: It is absolutely critical that victims of domestic abuse get support and especially when they are in housing need.The Domestic Abuse Act 2021, placed new duties on local authorities to ensure that victims and their children across England can access the right support in safe accommodation when they need it. This includes supporting victims in Sanctuary Schemes which provide enhanced physical security measures to a domestic abuse victim's own home where it is safe for them to stay at home.For those who are homeless as a result of being a victim of domestic abuse, local authorities must ensure that temporary accommodation is suitable in relation to the applicant and to all members of their household who normally reside with them, or who might reasonably be expected to reside with them. Consideration of whether accommodation is suitable will require an assessment of all aspects of the accommodation in the light of the relevant needs, requirements and circumstances of the homeless person and their household.In December 2021, we announced that for 2022/2023, local authorities have been allocated £316 million Homelessness Prevention Grant. This includes £5.8 million funding to cover the cost of extending priority need to those who are made homeless as a result of being victim to domestic abuse, following the landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Housing: Domestic Abuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Homes First pilots, what steps he is taking to help ensure women who have experienced domestic violence can reside in their own home, rather than in hostel provision.

Eddie Hughes: Housing First has an impressive international record in helping people with complex needs, including victims of domestic abuse, to recover and stay off the streets for good, which is why we awarded £28 million to pilot it in three areasHome should be a place of love and safety but for many people in this country this is sadly not the case.Our aim is always that the victim and children stay in their home; if anyone has to leave, it should be the abuser. However, that this is not always possible and in cases when a victim and their children must flee, there must be a safe place to go.The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 gives those who are homeless as a result of being a victim of domestic abuse priority need for accommodation secured by the local authority. This will help to ensure victims do not remain with their abuser for fear of not having a roof over their head.For 2022/2023, local authorities have been allocated £316 million Homelessness Prevention Grant, as announced in December 2021. This includes £5.8 million funding to cover the cost of extending priority need to those who are made homeless as a result of being victim to domestic abuse.The Act also placed new duties on local authorities, which came into force on 1 October 2021, to ensure that victims and their children across England can access the right support in safe accommodation when they need it. This includes supporting victims in Sanctuary Schemes which provide enhanced physical security measures to a domestic abuse victim's own home where it is safe for them to stay at home.

New Homes Ombudsman

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, (a) when the New Homes Ombudsman Scheme will commence and (b) whether it will cover existing complaints against developers that have not been resolved.

Eddie Hughes: We are bringing forward provision for the New Homes Ombudsman scheme through the Building Safety Bill which is currently before Parliament. Under the provisions of the Bill, the Secretary of State must make arrangements for the New Homes Ombudsman scheme.The Ombudsman will not apply retrospectively. The provisions will be place new requirements on developers under the new regime which were not valid at the time of build or sale and developers will need to transition to the new regime. Homebuyers may continue to use existing redress routes in the interim.

Energy Performance Certificates

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on requiring domestic energy assessor accreditation schemes to submit data regarding complaints they receive relating to their accredited assessors to his Department.

Eddie Hughes: The domestic energy assessor accreditation schemes are required to have complaints systems in place to deal with complaints about individual energy assessments. The Department has no plans to require schemes to submit data to the Department relating to complaints about their members.

Licensed Premises: Smoking

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on its work with local authorities on the regulation and management of shisha premises.

Neil O'Brien: Officials have been working with a group of local authorities to consider evidence on whether shisha premises should be regulated. The Department will inform local authorities of its view on the matter in due course.

Local Government: Religion

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he will take to ensure that faith organisations have a greater role in working with local government.

Eddie Hughes: The Government recognises the vital role played by our faith groups in their local communities. Faith organisations have been at the forefront during the pandemic, working alongside local authorities and other partners to provide communities with much needed support.The Faith New Deal pilot scheme announced last September will build on this, strengthening engagement between faith organisations and local government.The successful applicants will be announced shortly.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data his Department holds on the level of the Housing Revenue Account Capital Finance Requirement as of 1 February 2022.

Christopher Pincher: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Borders: Digital Technology

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the continued use of new Border Control Points following implementation of the Digital Borders programme.

Michael Ellis: The Government's Target Operating Model for a modernised UK border is set out in the 2025 Border Strategy, which was published in December 2020. As this sets out, we are seeking to digitise as much of the border process as possible. However, there will always be a need for some physical interventions at the border and, therefore, a continued role for Border Control Posts.

Government: Communication

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken to identify and seek collaborative ways to co-create communications and continue sharing accessible formats.

Michael Ellis: Following the publication of the National Disability Strategy, the Cabinet Office has continued to issue internal guidance on accessibility to government departments reiterating their duties under the Equality Act 2010. This is to ensure that communications are accessible using appropriate and inclusive formats. The Cabinet Office has continued to liaise with departments to encourage and support the development of accessible content - most recently to mark the International Day of People with Disabilities. The Cabinet Office also created a disability communications stakeholder working group in 2020 and regularly engages with that group to improve new messages. GOV.UK ran an audit in 2020 to identify and improve content and navigational issues. Following the audit, GOV.UK has updated publishing tools and guidance, and worked with departments to ensure their content adheres to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Treasury

Business: Coronavirus

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions and correspondence his Department has had with the National Crime Agency on fraud in the coronavirus business support schemes in the last three months.

John Glen: HMT officials regularly engage with the National Crime Agency to discuss shared policy interests, such as the response to fraud. This includes through the Economic Crime Strategic Board, through which the government, regulators, law enforcement, and industry discuss and drive forward the UK’s overall response to economic crime. The NCA and the Treasury are also members of a monthly cross-government Counter-Fraud Board on Bounce Back Loans. The government also continues to work actively with the British Business Bank, lenders, and fraud authorities to recover loans obtained fraudulently. This work has been supported by the Cabinet Office Counter Fraud Function to better identify the level and types of fraud against the scheme.We are working with enforcement bodies including the National Investigation Service to investigate the most serious cases of fraud and we have always been clear that anyone who defrauds the scheme is at risk of prosecution. The National Investigation Service have recovered £3.1 million so far. The NCA is an operationally independent agency and has not been prevented from investigating frauds against the Bounce Back Loans scheme or any other Covid-19 support scheme.

UK Trade with EU: VAT

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to provide support to companies that have to register in multiple EU countries for VAT in order to sell there.

Lucy Frazer: When goods sent from GB arrive in an EU country the VAT and customs rules of the country that the goods are imported to govern their treatment. HMRC is not the competent authority for VAT (or Customs and Excise) within the EU so cannot advise traders on EU Member State VAT rules. However, as part of our support offer to businesses the Department for International Trade has set up an Export Support Service (ESS). Whilst the ESS cannot provide advice or guidance on EU Member State VAT rules, it can signpost UK businesses to published EU VAT guidance so that UK businesses can understand how and when VAT may be charged when goods are imported into EU Member States. Further information on the ESS can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/ask-export-support-team.

Taxpayer Protection Taskforce

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what value of fraudulent loans or grants the taxpayer protection taskforce has recovered since its creation.

James Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations the taxpayer protection taskforce has (a) open and (b) closed.

Lucy Frazer: At Spring Budget 2021, the Government announced a £100 million investment into a Taxpayer Protection Taskforce to significantly extend HMRC’s work to tackle fraud and error in the COVID support schemes that HMRC administered (Self Employment Income Support Scheme, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Eat Out to Help Out). The HMRC Taxpayer Protection Taskforce does not deliver compliance activity across the COVID support loans to businesses administered outside HMRC.The taskforce will allow HMRC to undertake at least 30,000 compliance checks in total across three years, up to 2022-23. They are expected to recover around £800 million-£1 billion over two years, in addition to the £536 million recovered during 2020-21.For COVID-19 schemes, compliance checks are carried out when HMRC suspects there has been an overpayment of the claim, which may be due to either error or fraud. So far, HMRC has opened over 27,000 compliance checks into claims. This work is still ongoing. HMRC expects the compliance activity and results of the taskforce during 2021-22 to be published in its next Annual Report and Accounts which are expected in Spring 2022.

Business: Coronavirus

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of (a) Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, (b) Self Employment Income Support Scheme, (c) Eat out to Help Out, (d) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, (e) Bounce Back Loan Scheme and (f) Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme payments that involved fraud cannot be recovered by his Department due to erroneous registration data.

John Glen: The Government has provided around £400 billion of direct support for the economy since the start of the pandemic, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK.The Government takes the issue of potential fraud relating to covid support schemes extremely seriously. Robust measures were put in place to control error and fraud in the key covid support schemes from their inception. In relation to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), HMRC prioritised getting money to those who needed it with the schemes designed to minimise fraud while not unnecessarily delaying payments. The schemes were designed to prevent fraud, both in the eligibility criteria and the claim process itself. As recovering funds lost to organised criminals is especially difficult, HMRC prioritised tackling this risk before payments were made. Eligibility has been limited to employees and the self-employed who already had a tax footprint, which gives HMRC greater confidence these are not ‘bogus’ claims falsified to look like real businesses. HMRC also put in place a series of checks on claims before they are paid so that HMRC were able to block those that are highly indicative of criminal activity. In addition, HMRC is able to investigate suspect payments that did not meet the threshold for pre-payment blocks post-payment, using their full range of civil and criminal powers and tools. In relation to the CJRS specifically, HMRC ensured that the claims service captured all the data necessary to enable post payment compliance and only accepted claims from employers known to and authenticated by HMRC. HMRC have actively prevented non-eligible employers from applying. Claimants are required to provide details of who has been furloughed and for how long, providing HMRC with clear data against which to make checks. Regarding the SEISS, claimants had to have made a 2018/19 self-assessment tax return in order to claim grants 1 to 3 and a 2019/20 tax return to claim grants 4 and 5. The amount they claim is based on tax returns previously submitted to HMRC. In addition, compliance activity is underway in respect of those claimants who have indicated on their tax returns that their self-employment has ceased but claimed a SEISS grant. If HMRC identify grants have been claimed when the person is not eligible, then recovery of the overpaid amounts is undertaken, with appropriate penalties being issued to those most egregious of cases. HMRC have also implemented pre-claim verification checks on those customers who have submitted 2019/20 returns as newly self-employed. The purpose of these checks is to establish that the return is from a genuine person, and they are undertaking self-employed activity. Eat Out to Help Out scheme ran for one month in August 2020. HMRC’s risk analysis identified customers whose claims indicated significantly supressed turnover and/or an inflated claim. HMRC launched a campaign aimed at encouraging these customers to repay excess claims (although where HMRC believe something is clearly egregious, they moved straight to direct intervention). Customers who presented a risk following this campaign were triaged for further activity. HMRC also directly investigated around 800 of the highest risk cases. Regarding Bounce Back Loans (BBLS), lenders were required to make and maintain appropriate anti-fraud, anti-money laundering and Know Your Customer checks. Specifically, lenders must use a reputable fraud bureau (such as The UK’s Fraud Prevention Community CIFAS’s fraud prevention and detection solution SIRA) to screen against potential or known fraudsters. If an application fails the lender’s fraud checks, the lender must not offer a loan. In addition to these lender checks, further checks include the duplicate loan check, incorporation date check and the change in director check that were introduced in June 2020. These minimum standards were agreed following consultation with PWC and lenders on what would have the biggest impact on preventing fraud while still meeting the policy objectives. Under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS), lenders were able to conduct full credit checks on borrowers in line with business as usual processes and thus verify the financial information provided by borrowers, with less reliance on information self-certified by the borrower (as is the case under BBLS). This reduces fraud risk by allowing lenders to assure themselves that borrowers are not providing false information in order to obtain funds.

Debts: Advisory Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2022 to Question 106695, on Debts: Advisory Services, what support is available until MaPS identifies a longer-term solution; and what his timeframe is for identifying a longer-term solution.

John Glen: The Government and the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) are committed to ensure that those in financial difficulty who need help can access free of charge debt advice. While MaPS works through their next steps on their commissioning exercise, as set out in their update of 17 December 2021, they have confirmed they will be extending existing grants for a limited period of time. The Government recognises the sector’s need for planning certainty and is closely engaging with MaPS as they work through the next steps including by making sure they are considering recent representations made by various stakeholders in the sector on how best to deliver locally based debt advice provision going forward. The Government is working at pace with MaPS to provide further information to the bidders and the sector shortly.

Debts: Advisory Services

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to secure the future of face-to-face debt advice in the UK following the Money and Pension Services’ procurement exercise.

Beth Winter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made by the Money and Pensions Service of potential job losses following its recommendation to reduce community-based debt advice funding provision by 50 per cent.

John Glen: Supporting people in problem debt is a Government priority. This is why the Government provided recorded levels of funding during the pandemic to the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) for free-to-client debt advice provision in England. The Government has also given MaPS a statutory duty to have close regard for vulnerable people and is working closely with MaPS regarding its next steps for local debt advice provision. MaPS has not recommended a 50% reduction in community-based debt advice funding as part of its commissioning exercise. The evaluation of bids on the regional lot of their commissioning exercise was recently completed. The evaluation revealed concerns that the services being offered would not adequately meet the needs of people in vulnerable circumstances at the scale MaPS had hoped to achieve, or provide value for money. Therefore, MaPS will not be awarding contracts under the regional lot at this time. The Government is working closely with MaPS to provide further information to the bidders and the sector shortly with regards to its commissioning exercise and next steps.

China: Hong Kong

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement on 29 January on resuming the Economic and Financial Dialogue between the UK and China, what recent assessment she has made of the extent of human rights abuses by China in Hong Kong since the National Security Law came into effect in that territory.

John Glen: The UK has continued to make clear to the mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedoms, punish dissent and shrink the space for opposition, free press and civil society. We can also pursue an economic relationship with China in a safe, mutually beneficial way without compromising our values. UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogues (EFDs) provide a key mechanism for doing this. We have always been clear that our economic relationship does not come at the expense of human rights, and where we have concerns, we will continue to speak out and act.

Apprentices: Taxation

Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was raised under the Apprenticeship Levy from businesses in Northern Ireland during each of the five past financial years.

Helen Whately: The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in 2017-18, and the outturn data is not yet available for 2021-22. The table below shows the estimated amount of levy paid by employers who are registered in Northern Ireland, rounded to the nearest £5m, for the first four financial years since the introduction of the Levy:  2017-182018-192019-202020-21Apprenticeship Levy Receipts£25m£30m£30m£30m Please note that these estimates are based on where employers are registered, and therefore does not necessarily reflect where the liabilities are accrued. They don’t include businesses registered in Wales, Scotland, or England, who have a presence and pay employees in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, they include businesses registered in Northern Ireland, who have a presence and pay employees in Wales, Scotland, or England, but it assumes that the total pay bill is within Northern Ireland.

Treasury: Carbon Emissions

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what impact the net zero review has had on his Department's policies.

Helen Whately: As outlined in the Net Zero Review final report, HM Treasury is building its governance, capabilities, and processes to support our transition to net zero. That includes developing our analytical capability for assessing and reporting on our net zero transition and the impact of policies and projects. For instance, there is an ongoing process of building macroeconomic modelling capability. As set out in Annex C of the Net Zero Review, some activities involved in this work are complete while the majority are ongoing.

Non-domestic Rates: Tax Allowances

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total cost of the Business Rates relief introduced in March 2020 has been to the Treasury.

Lucy Frazer: According to the national non-domestic rates data collected by local authorities, the cost of the retail, hospitality, and leisure relief was £11.1 billion in 2020-21, and is expected to be £5.8 billion in 2021-22. This data is published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils This support means that eligible properties paid no business rates for 15 months from 1 April 2020. Additionally, due to the 66 per cent capped relief which took effect on 1 July 2021, over 90 per cent of eligible businesses will see a 75 per cent reduction in their business rates bill across this entire financial year to next April.

Hospitality Industry: Non-domestic Rates and VAT

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made on the potential merits of maintaining the current 12.5 per cent rate of VAT and providing 100 per cent business rates relief to support hospitality businesses.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has provided over £400 billion of direct support to the economy during this financial year and the last, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses, and public services in every region and nation of the UK through the pandemic. The reduced rate of VAT for hospitality and tourism has cost over £8 billion and will continue to support businesses until 31 March 2022. There are no plans to extend the length of this relief. Eligible businesses in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors in England will benefit from business rates relief worth £6 billion in the year 2021-22. All taxes are kept under review, but it is appropriate that the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to strengthen and rebuild the public finances.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Karen Bradley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the temporary reduction of VAT for businesses in the hospitality sector beyond 31 of March 2022.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made on the impact of maintaining the current 12.5 per cent rate of VAT on consumer spending.

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of maintaining the 12.5 per cent rate of VAT on inflation.

Lucy Frazer: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and to protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This new rate will end on 31 March 2022. This relief has cost over £8 billion and, whilst all taxes are kept under review, there are no plans to extend the 12.5 per cent reduced rate of VAT. The Government has been clear that this relief is a temporary measure designed to support the sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases, the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Society of Antiquaries: Burlington House

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with stakeholders on the future of Burlington House and enabling the Society of Antiquaries to remain in residence.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government recognises the cultural, scientific and heritage contributions of the Learned Societies of New Burlington House.Burlington House is owned by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as successor to the Office of Works. Officials from DCMS have, however, been working closely with DLUHC on this matter. Officials from both departments have recently met the Learned Societies and are working with them to identify the potential for a viable solution which will enable them to remain in their long-standing home. The Secretary of State met a representative from the Learned Societies in recent months, and a special adviser from her office has visited them in Burlington House.We remain committed to finding a solution which provides value for money for the taxpayer and addresses the Societies’ challenges, while advancing their cultural and educational agenda so that their work continues to benefit as many people as possible.

Tourism: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, how many roundtables the Minister for Sport and Tourism has held to date with stakeholders across the tourism industry to improve understanding of the barriers disabled people face as tourists.

Nigel Huddleston: My department undertakes multiple discussions with stakeholders on an ongoing basis through forums such as the Tourism Industry Council. My department is currently in the process of establishing a Working Group of the Tourism Industry Council to support the government objectives on Accessibility, and is selecting stakeholders who will participate in that Working Group.In addition, I am hosting a meeting with Cross-Government Accessibility Ambassadors next week, where the Tourism Accessibility Ambassador will also be in attendance, to gather further insight on how we can improve accessibility across the sector.

Tourism: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with the Inclusive Tourism Action Group to promote the National Accessible Scheme.

Nigel Huddleston: We have continued to engage with stakeholders to assess how we can support inclusive and accessible tourism as the sector recovers from Covid-19. This includes England’s Inclusive Tourism Action Group, organised by VisitEngland and comprising a range of leading accessible tourism stakeholders.The Inclusive Tourism Action Group runs the National Accessible Scheme which rates tourist accommodation based on their suitability for guests with accessibility requirements. VisitEngland will shortly undertake a full strategic review of the National Accessible Scheme, which will be informed by new consumer research. Members of England’s Inclusive Tourism Action Group will be key consultees for the review.The Government is committed to improving the lives of disabled people. In July 2021 the government announced the National Strategy for Disabled People, which includes our ambition to make the UK the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by 2025. The strategy takes into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people and focuses on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects and phases of life.I am hosting a meeting with Cross-Government Accessibility Ambassadors next week, including the Accessibility Ambassador for the Tourism sector, as we look to further progress the ambitions set out in the National Strategy for Disabled People.

Tourism: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and other stakeholders in the tourism sector to promote the importance of accessible tourism in the media and to businesses.

Nigel Huddleston: The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June 2021, included the government’s commitment to recruit a new Disability and Access Ambassador for Tourism. Following an open recruitment process in 2021, Ross Calladine (Head of Business Support for VisitEngland), was appointed as the Tourism Ambassador in January 2022. The Ambassador role will drive improvement in tourism accessibility and quality of services in facilities for disabled people in the tourism Industry, and help to ensure businesses are doing all they can to support disabled customers.The Government introduced new building regulations in January 2021, which made ‘Changing Places’ toilets a requirement in all new hotels as well as other public buildings, such as zoos and theme parks with a capacity of over 2000 people and museums. This is a positive step to promote the importance of accessibility in businesses that serve tourists. The Government invited unitary and district local authorities to opt-in to its £30 million Changing Places Fund to increase the provision of Changing Places toilets in toilet buildings.VisitEngland has developed a dedicated web portal providing tailored business advice to tourism businesses, including guidance on how to welcome guests with different access needs. It has also ensured that its promotional and marketing activities are inclusive. For example, its Escape the Everyday campaign worked in partnership with Channel 4 to launch the Mission: Accessible series, which showcases accessible places to visit across the UK.

3G: Rural Areas

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of potential effect of the switch off of the Vodafone 3G network in 2023 on rural communities; and what steps the Government plans to take to rural communities as 3G networks are phased out.

Julia Lopez: We are committed to extending good quality mobile coverage across the UK. In March 2020, the government announced a deal with the mobile network operators, including Vodafone, to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass. The Government’s ambition is for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027 and we want to ensure that UK businesses reap the full benefits of 5G.There is no explicit regulatory requirement for mobile network operators to maintain a 2G or 3G network and the government has limited powers to compel operators to maintain, switch off or streamline specific networks. It is for operators to take final decisions on the provision of network services.The Government welcomes 3G networks being switched off in a responsible way, and will continue to work with mobile network operators to ensure a smooth transition that meets the needs of business users and consumers, including rural communities.

Football: Governing Bodies

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the debate that took place at the Council of Europe between 24 and 28 January 2022 on football governance.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to reforming football governance, and recognises the crucial work of the Council of Europe and in particular the PACE in this sphere, noting that recommendations will go to the Committee of Ministers in due course for appropriate review.The Government recognises the need for the long-term financial sustainability of football clubs, particularly those in the lower leagues. That is why we have welcomed the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance and have endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review, that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game.The Government is working at pace to review the report in full, including detailed consideration of the recommendations made on improving financial stability and the governance of football clubs across the game, as we work towards issuing a full response to the report in the Spring.

Television Licences: Older People

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2022 to Question 104346 on Television Licences: Older People, what discussions she has had with the BBC in relation to the conduct of Capita in enforcing payment of the TV Licence from people who are over 75.

Julia Lopez: The Secretary of State has raised the issue of enforcement action against the over-75s for TV Licence Fee evasion with the BBC.The BBC has confirmed that no enforcement action has been taken against over-75s for TV licence evasion at this stage.The Secretary of State has been clear that the BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision on the over-75s concession and we expect them to do so with the utmost sensitivity.

Exercise: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what progress her Department has made on developing a new training programme to better enable social workers to promote physical activity to disabled people.

Nigel Huddleston: As part of the National Disability Strategy, Sport England, DCMS's arm’s length body for grassroots sport in England, made a commitment to develop and pilot a new training programme to better enable social workers to promote physical activity to disabled people in 2022. To deliver on this commitment, the Moving Social Work programme has been established to create resources and co-design strategies for the education of social workers. It has four phases; scoping, content production, effectiveness testing and final production.The programme is currently on track against its delivery plan. The next steps include running a number of ‘knowledge cafes’ as part of the co-production element of the programme.

Arts: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what progress she has made on the launching of a free, UK-wide arts access card by March 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to the development of an arts and cultural sector that is representative of modern society and in which there are no barriers to participation.As announced in the new Government Disability Strategy, Arts Councils across the UK are working together with the British Film Institute to launch a free, UK-wide arts access card by March 2023. March 2022 will see these organisations start work on their soft launch and pilot. This access card will be usable across all arts and cultural venues, for seamless, barrier-free booking that is responsive to individual circumstances and needs.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,  what the average response time was for her Department to respond to an enquiry from an MP once an enquiry had been received by the MP (a) hotline and (b) account management team in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Julia Lopez: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents.The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport does not have an MP hotline.The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport does not have an account management team, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport correspondence team does not hold information on the average response time to enquiries from MPs, as correspondence performance is monitored by the percentage of correspondence responded to within the target response time set by the Department.Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2019 and 2020 is published on GOV.UK. Data for 2021 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Derby County Football Club

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to review the governance of EFL in the context of its handling of administration of Derby County FC.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the administrators of Derby County Football Club on ensuring a swift resolution to the ongoing administration.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the implementation of the (a) full recommendations of the Fan-Led Review of Football Governance and (b) recommendation in that review's report of the immediate imposition of shadow regulator on helping to prevent the administration of Derby County Football Club.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government continues to engage on a regular basis with the English Football League and the administrator about Derby County Football Club. Ultimately, it is for the EFL, the administrator and the club to resolve issues to ensure the survival of Derby County FC, but the government has urged pragmatism from all parties to find a solution for the benefit of fans and the community that the club serves. The EFL must equally preserve the integrity of the league on behalf of all member clubs, but all parties want to see one of the founding members of the Football League continue this season and beyond under appropriate ownership.It is positive that the EFL has granted a four-week extension to Derby County FC and its administrators to demonstrate proof of funding through to the end of the season. This extension must now be used to ensure a suitable outcome is reached and the government has made this point to the EFL and administrators.The Government welcomes the findings of the Fan Led Review and has endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review, that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game. The Government will now consider the detail of all the recommendations, including those made on ensuring future financial stability, and work at pace to determine the most effective way to deliver an independent regulator, and any powers that might be needed.

BBC Monitoring: Finance

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2022 to Question 110225 on BBC Monitoring and BBC World Service: Finance, for what reason the BBC Monitoring Service (BBCM) was not referred to in that Answer; what changes there have been in the size of the overall budget allocated to BBCM since the closure of Caversham Park; and what undertakings have been sought and received from the BBC by the Government on future levels of funding to be allocated to BBCM.

Julia Lopez: The BBC is responsible for the funding, staffing and administration of Monitoring, which is provided under a specific “BBC Monitoring Agreement” between the BBC and government. The agreement provides assurances that core services will be funded by the BBC from Licence Fee Revenue.The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government, and is independently responsible for approving the high-level strategy for BBC Monitoring and the budget for the core services.The Government is satisfied with BBC Monitoring's ability to deliver the service based on agreed performance targets under the current funding model. Additional BBC Monitoring Services are subject to further contractual agreement and require funding directly from the recipient.The BBC’s Annual Reports and Accounts show it spent £5.8 million on BBC Monitoring in 2015/16 and £4 million on BBC Monitoring on 2020/21.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Prime Minister, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of the creation of the Office of the Prime Minister.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Prime Minister, what estimate he has made of the cost of creating an Office of the Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Hon Member to my answer given to 114642.

Investigation into Alleged Gatherings on Government Premises during Covid Restrictions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral contribution of 31 January 2022 in response to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean, Official Report, column 32, and the statements of his official spokesperson of 31 January 2021, if he will (a) ask the Second Permanent Secretary to update her report on Investigation into alleged gatherings on Government premises during covid restrictions after the conclusion of the Metropolitan Police investigation and (b) publish all related material that is submitted to him.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to 114637, 114638 and 114639.